Obvious Vexation
by Madeline Cullen
Summary: In the years after Rem uses the Death Note on L and Watari, K is left with a mystery on her hands. She trudges on through life, determined to stop Kira once and for all. Sequel to Oblivious Attraction
1. Prologue

**Obvious Vexation**

**Prologue**

_Things are horrible when the kids you practically raised are cooing words of reassurance in your ear… when tears just fall down your cheeks every two seconds and your head snaps up whenever he takes a shuddering breath.._.

_Kat, sweetie, this is hopeless, to keep all of us holed up. It's been 8 weeks! Think about the children! The ones inside you and the ones you're scaring! Near might not show it, but he's so frightened! _Kew whispered to her.

_I know…_Kat responded, running the pads of her fingers over the little spindly veins in his wrist, using her other hand as a pillow.

_Mr. Wammy woke up two weeks after we fled, something's gone wrong…_Kew mused.

_NO! _Kitten shrieked. _He's perfectly fine! See! He's breathing! Can't you hear his heart beating! _

_Kitten…we're 71 days along, about three-something months of a human term…the chance of miscarriage has gone down but…it's still there…Kat, we have to eat something…! Don't make me force you back!_ Kew threatened.

_Of course,_ she sighed. _I'll go get myself that repulsive nutritional smoothie the Orphanage cooks concocted for me…_

She placed her hand on the bump between her hips before placing a kiss on Lawliet's pale forehead and walking along the hallway, buttoning her parka.

Nowadays, to see her tail drooping and her ears flat against her head was common. The only time they ever went up was when she was at the shooting range at her house with Matt and Mello, teaching them how to properly shoot a gun and manage a knife.

She had to rely on charts for the hand-to-hand combat because of her pregnancy.

"Ah, Kat, we fixed up your smoothie! It tastes like strawberries now 'stead of a bundle of nasty!"

"Thank you, Mrs. Clarke," Kat said. Mrs. Clarke was a kind African-American woman with a southern drawl. She was born in the United States, in Mississippi. Back when they were integrating schools. She had a natural gift with cooking and loved it too but the crow's feet around her chocolate eyes and callousness on her hands showed her struggles.

"No problem, darlin'. How's L?" she asked as Kat sipped at her drink, bending the straw with her teeth.

"The same," she said simply. "But I swear I saw his lips twitch this morning."

Mrs. Clarke gave Kat a warm smile, laying her hand on Kat's shoulder and giving her shoulder a small squeeze. "Well, that's better than nuthin,' ain't it?" She asked.

"Yes, I suppose, I just can't wait for him to open his eyes…Well, I will be heading back now. See you soon, Mrs. Clarke," Kat said, trudging out of the kitchen, picking up her pace only to flinch when her phone went off with a soft tune.

She flipped it open. "Hello?"

"_Kat? It's Suture, any news?"_

"No."

"_We haven't found out anything new. The files have next to nothing, and Nuo keeps trying to analyze the blood samples you sent us, Beyond killed another two yesterday. They were planning against you, it seems. I will call you on the next appointed date, goodbye._"

Kat blinked as the _beep-beep-beep_ sounded in her ears.

Another source to her misery. Suture had been unusually cold to her. Polite, but she was still being closed off to Kat.

She shut her eyes, sitting down in a chair in the hallway across from the boy's room.

The day they arrived at a house Kat owned just a mile away from the Orphanage, Beyond had e-mailed her everything to do with the LABB murder cases. Her temper had flared when she saw that the information could have helped her evaluate the situation more clearly.

He certainly didn't help her temper when he retorted coolly to her call, "You never asked either L or my self."

She had snapped the phone shut when she heard the little bleeps, chucking it at the wall with impressive force.

The poor phone shattered, forcing her to go buy a new one while she screamed at all the scientists over the Orphanage's phone to get to figuring out the statistics.

"Sis? You alright?"

She glanced up, giving a weary smile. "Fine, Matt. I bought you that video game you wanted. Here."

She handed him the small cartridge, a soft sheen appearing in her eyes when he beamed.

"Thanks!" he said, already in the process of taking out his trusty Nintendo DS from his cargo pants.

"You're welcome, kiddo," she responded, reaching into her own pockets to get two bars of chocolate. "Does Near like his new puzzle?" She asked.

"Of course! He hasn't touched any other toy for days! It's amazing!" the redhead exclaimed; adjusting his goggles on his neck. Then he saw the chocolate in her hands. "Mello's getting dressed, I'm sure he'll be out soon."

"Thanks, Matt."

She brushed her bangs out of her face before twirling some longer locks of ebony and silver.

_You shower them with gifts too much…no wonder Mello's such a brat,_ K noted sarcastically.

_Mello's your favorite, idiot,_

_Doesn't mean he doesn't have the tendency of acting like a little spoiled brat._

_Touché._

"Kat! H-He- He—"

**A/N: Oh, and to those who are completely lost, well, this is a sequel. Part two to my story "Oblivious Attraction." So, if you're lost, well, I suggest going to go read it. Right Now. And leave a review! I'm in the mood for cliffhangers this week, aren't I? I did it for **_**Dark Blue**_** and **_**Oblivious Attraction, **_**and before that **_**Twin Sister**_**. Geez. **

**Hope everyone liked it. ^-^**

**-Maddy**


	2. March 2012

**Chapter 1**

**March 3****rd****, 2012**

"Papa, where's Momma?" A small girl with slightly curled salt and pepper hair, two overly sized cat ears perched on her head, with big, soft green eyes asked her father. She was gently tugging on the sleeve of his white t-shirt.

"She went out to play fight with Toshio and Ryuuhei, Selena," He told her, gathering her up in his arms. "You were sleeping, so Momma didn't want to wake you up."

Almost on cue, Selena yawned, leaning her head into his chest. "And Uncle Near went to America, right?" She asked in a small voice, smiling cutely when her father wordlessly offered her a toffee.

"Yes, he is going to help all of solve that case I was working on with your mother," He said, petting her hair. _She's only this quiet when she wakes up…_

"The one with that horrible thing, _Kira,_" she said with all the spit fiery anger her mother had at the age. Luckily for him, she preferred to only use it when speaking of the murderer that had "killed" him.

"Selena, Momma says to come outside already." A little boy said, appearing at the door. He had his long-ish hair in the same style as his father, black as pitch with a faint blue tint and the same gun metal gray eyes as his father. Fluffy ears were perched on his head, a tail swinging behind him, just like his sister.

Selena looked up at her father curiously, "Can I go, papa?"

"Sure, sweetie, I have to finish this up anyhow." He told her, placing a small peck on her forehead. "Go help your brothers win against your momma."

"Okay papa, c'mon Toshio! Let's go!" Selena exclaimed, running over to her brother, a hyper little bouncing blur.

Lawliet smiled before sighing and turning back to his files. Four years since he "died" in the eye of the Task Force, sans Aizawa.

His children had turned four last month, the hyper and bouncy stage at which they would test their parents.

This was why Lawliet had frowned at Kat when she had told him her part in the scheme they had against Kira.

He couldn't really blame her though.

When he woke up that day four years ago, he had seen what shambles he had left her in.

Those barely visible bags under her eyes were stained an inky black from lack of sleep, her eyes were dulled and he _knew_ he saw more silver in her hair than usual. To be concise, she looked like death.

After that, when he got to the point in which he had enough energy to actually complain about the non-sugary food they were giving him (which caused him to gain a good ten pounds, bringing his weight to a more healthy range), she started to revert back to her old self.

But she wasn't truly debating with him over cinematic actions until he was able to fix up his Capoeira.

Then the triplets were born one month premature, which was to be expected with the circumstances. What with the mother being a feline-human hybrid and giving birth to a set of multiples…to quote Kat during her "reality American television" stage; "Ne, might as well have signed us up for one of those things, right?" (To which Mello replied, "Not even if Kira _weren't_ after your hide, sis.")

It was fairly hectic and _fast_ after that. They were half way out of their minds, running around, barely able to drink their daily dosage of coffee before one of them would start crying for some reason or another. Which was why they were beyond grateful when Matt, Mello and Near came over to help from time to time, giving both Kat and Lawliet a chance to take a breather and have some time alone.

Once the kids got to the age of one, they began talking. Well, in Selena's case, she would crawl in her mother's lap and babble and babble—and babble, in confident sort of way. Of course, no one understood whatever she tried to say. Toshio took his time in speaking, and when he did, it would be because he had snuck over to his parents to taste whatever sweet they were eating. Ryuuhei, of course, took more to his mother's "no non-sense" persona…otherwise known as K with a bit of Kew shown through out.

Mrs. Clarke was kind enough to drop by some days; she even attempted to teach Kat how to cook. (Which, needless to say, ended terribly; the kitchen remained unusable for weeks. Thereby forcing the family to move in to the Orphanage until her mess could be fixed… which of course meant renovating the entire kitchen.) The kids took to calling her Auntie Bell, since her given name was Annabelle.

The terrible twos drove everyone up the wall. Selena and Ryuuhei were put in "time out" (Which was just putting them on opposite sides of the room, facing a wall forbidden to move lest they wanted no desert). Toshio would just usually watch silently from behind his father's legs before going off to play with one of the many toys in their playroom.

And that was when Mello came to Kat with his sketchy plan. She had ironed out the sketchier points as best she could before nodding and sending him off, not without a couple of mothering hugs on her part and some awkward pats on the back from Mello.

Lawliet brought his thumb to his lips, biting on it relatively hard.

Near was due to leave tomorrow, Kat was leaving too but to a completely different area.

The fact that Kat had been restless for all of four years was nothing new to Lawliet. Her energy was pent up and she had to make all of the missions she went on relatively safe and had to make a conscious effort to avoid injury so as not to traumatize the children.

Even if the children were aware of the jobs their parents held, and had substantial intelligence quotients (possibly higher than their parents' were at their age), they were still children. They did not have that dark cloud over their shoulders, that sense of death present in their young lives. And if either of their parents had a say in it, they would never experience it.

Both of them were making a giant effort to expel any chance of them dying, but that was completely unattainable what with the Kira case still unsolved.

K made a point of yelling it out every time they went about discussing whether or not each case or mission they were about to take on was too life endangering or too risky.

But with Kat getting so antsy and testy, well, in laymen's terms, she needed some sort of outlet. Thus, she decided to go join Mello in the Mafia under her underworld Alias "Eve."

"Ryuuhei, Toshio, Selena, come in already, you guys need to go take your nap!" He heard Kat's voice, ringing through the hallway. He tilted his head, listening.

That was something else he found puzzling. Apparently, that serum that she had given to Mr. Wammy and him self so many years ago had some side effects.

Nothing detrimental or incapacitating of course, she would have wringed all of the scientists' necks if that were the case. He just got to keep his enhanced senses, keeping him on the same level of awareness as the rest of his family.

He chuckled at the thought of his family.

He was the odd one out, without the ears of a tail, and round pupils instead of the slit ones of his wife and children. The kids asked him about it once and Kat had just jumped in saying that Lawliet was just the "special" one in the house. ("So, you can't use your claws with you play fight with him, Ryuuhei," She said, giving their son a pointed look.)

But he was fine with that; he was still able to keep up with his children's rough housing.

"And what are you smiling about, Lawliet?"

He turned his head around. "Nothing, are they asleep?"

Kat nodded, perching herself next to him, putting her arms in between her legs, steadying herself with her hands. "They are. I gave them some warm milk, works like a drug to them." She said in her silent way, smiling at Lawliet.

And he still couldn't get used to that. In the past, her smiles were rare, especially the genuine ones.

"And you are set to leave tomorrow, have you told the children?" He asked, pulling her over to him gently, laying his arm over her shoulders.

Kat sighed, "No, I was going to wait after dinner so that they would be too drowsy to put up much of an argument." She pushed Lawliet's legs down, curling up in his lap, tucking her head under his chin. "We have cheeky children with a lack of insomnia, I am surprised."

"I am not. They take after their mother," Lawliet retorted, playing around with her hair, which had grown a little bit past her shoulders.

"I do not sleep that much," She murmured wryly, shoving him lightly.

"I disagree. You seemed to have slept more in the last five years than in the first twenty of our life," He refuted. "And are cats not supposed to sleep excessively."

"Che," She huffed. "Stereotypical insomniac."

"But you love me," He pointed out, examining a lock of silver hair.

"And you love me." She said simply, twisting around to give him a peck on the lips.

"Mmm, stating the obvious now, aren't we?" He teased, letting his hands slide to her waist, a glint in his eyes.

"Hm, I must have picked that habit up from my husband," She murmured, an identical glint in her eyes.

They leaned in and—

"MOM! SELENA DOESN'T SHUT UP!"

"MOMMA, RYUUHEI IS CALLING ME A MOTOR MOUTH, WHEN I CLEARLY AM NOT!"

"PAPA! I CAN'T SLEEP WITH THEM YELLING!"

Both of them sighed, untangling themselves. "It seems we have a fight to referee," Lawliet muttered disappointed, pulling Kat up to her feet.

"Yes. Now let's go before Ryuuhei tears up the pillows again, like last time…" She said, leaving the room in a jog.

-

Kat shook her head, trying to get her newly blood red hair to dry faster. "Momma, you look pretty! As pretty as a princess! Oh, you would look even more pretty with a tiara and a princess dress, like Snow White, and Ryuuhei could be the Grumpy dwarf because he's just a pessimist that way," _Pessimist? Has she been rifling through my dictionaries again?_ "And Toshio could be the Bashful dwarf, since he's so silent and shy sometimes! And Papa could be the Prince and I could be the Prince and Snow White's fairy princess daughter!"

Kat smiled at her daughter. "Of course, Selena, you would make the cutest fairy princess." In another time, Kat would have wondered what the heck a fairy was and said tactlessly ask "who does not know snow is white?" But with a bubbly little girl, she had learned about all the Disney characters (but banished Elmo and Barney, since the children complained it was completely repetitive and obvious) and fairy tales and had purchased a good amount of books and costumes for little Selena.

"Come on, Selena," She said, picking up the little girl and balancing her on her hip. "Let's go see what your brothers and father are doing."

"Most likely playing _Clue_ again. They never get tired of that game, you should know that, Momma," Selena told her.

"Right," Kat said, sighing. "I regret ever buying that game for them. They're obsessed."

"What does 'obsessed' mean?" Selena asked innocently.

"Obsessed: past tense of 'obsess.' It means to occupy somebody's thoughts constantly and exclusively."

"Oh, well then, Toshio, Ryuuhei and papa are obsessed with it."

Kat smiled, placing a kiss on Selena's forehead, smiling when her ears perked up.

"It was Miss Scarlet, in the Library, with the Rope," Toshio accused.

"You win, again, Toshio," Lawliet said just as both Selena and the red-haired Kat appeared at the door.

"Momma says you guys are obsess with this game," Selena said simply, dropping down from her mother's arms (giving Kat and Lawliet a start) and bounding over to her stuff animals in a corner of the room.

"But that insinuates that we play it every minute of every day, which we do not," Lawliet said simply.

"What does 'insinuate' mean?" Selena asked, picking out her favorite bunny rabbit from the neatly arranged pile. If a pile could be neatly arranged, that is.

"To imply something, Selena," Toshio said quickly before Ryuuhei could even attempt to throw some sort of insult her way.

"Che, stupid motor mouth," Ryuuhei mocked, turning his back on her.

"I'm _not_ a motor mouth, dragon boy," she snapped.

"Right, and I'm Michael Jackson, moon girl," he said coolly.

"Guys, I don't think you should argue—"

"Stay out of this, toe boy!" They both insulted, simultaneously.

"No, both of you, time out. You know better than to insult each other," Lawliet said firmly. "No dessert tonight, either."

"B-But, papa, it was his fault!"

"No! It's _your _fault!"

"Enough, both of you, now march!" Kat said; one hand on her hip.

When both had filed out, Kat sighed, feeling sort of guilty. "And I was about to leave too, Toshio, come here; give your Momma a hug before she goes off with Uncle Mello." She said, squatting down, opening her arms.

-

Kat composed herself, making sure that her black wife beater was fine, running her hands over the zipper of her new parka as she her boots tapped on the linoleum floors the American Mafia headquarters.

She placed her thumbs in her pockets, a blank look appearing on her features as she came to a room with a bunch of muscled men, among them, another person wearing a black parka, almost identical to her own.

"Hello, Mello, nice to see you again," She said quite emotionlessly, paying no mind to the others in the room.

She received a nod from his before he took another bite of his chocolate bar with a dramatic flourish.

"And who are you, little lady?" Questioned the man nearest to her, eyeing her in a very risqué way.

"Eve, and if you don't stop looking at me like that, boy, you'll wake up tomorrow without your family jewels," She said dangerously before looking at the man she supposed was in charge. "By the look on your face, I can assume you know who I am."

The man gave a greasy grin. "Well, you know what they say about assume, it makes an ass out of you and me."

"Perhaps I worded that awkwardly. I'm Eve, Yakuza boss in Japan." She told him, her eyes never loosing their blankness. "I come offering my services."

"Well, then, by all means, serve," said another one.

"My threat still stands. I may be a woman, but I am not, by any means, a whore. By 'services,' I mean that I am willing to assist you in taking down Kira, since Mello here, _is_ my apprentice."

"And how do we prove that you _are_ who you say you are and aren't just pulling our legs?" The boss asked.

"Well, that is where you turn on your TV to WATA international news. I have something planned that should help prove my…ahem, worth."


	3. Revolt

Chapter 2

"What is on WATA?" asked the boss.

K shrugged. "I suppose I could give you some background information." With that she leaned on one hip, one hand propped up on it, creating an odd effect what with her thin parka.

"Given your status, I suppose you know of Kira, and when the battle of minds began in 2007, correct?" she gave them no time to respond and merely continued on. "Well, the very first incident, when L and K challenged Kira; well, let us call this a reenactment of sorts…" K trailed off, a smirk appearing on her features as they flipped the TV on.

"_Tonight at 8 o' clock we will have—" _The very nasally newscaster said before the screen blinked out and was replaced by a more different scene.

"_Hello! And welcome to the Scarlet Snowflake special of the year! I'm your host, Karin K. Tailor!" _K remained blank as everyone had their eyes glued to the screen. Karin was garbed in very unprofessional clothing; a tight black halter, her feet were placed up on the desk, showing off her jeans and ankle boots. A cigarette hung out of the whole in her mask, which revealed smirking lips.

"_Well, on our first show, we would like to address the problem of Kira," _She said, flicking ashes off of her "cancer stick" (as the brunette preferred to phrase it). "_Kira, Kira, Mr. Kira, Se­ñor Kira, Signore Kira, that dude who seems to be trying to keep all of the criminals at bay._

"_Is he bonkers, or is it just me? My boss, Eve, well, she's deadest on some goals, a good bit of them involving what she calls, and I quote: stupid pest who cannot seem to mind his own damn business. Whoops, was I not meant to say that on live TV? Oh well._

_Get on with the program, Karin!_ K thought.

"_Anyways, my boss, wanted to try something out. She isn't in the police, nope, far from it. So am I. But we will be the first of many. If you have seen all the countless Kira worshippers and wanted to slug them all at one time, then chances are, you are a perfect candidate for our experiment. _

"_All of you!" _She said in a way that commanded attention. That was another reason why K had chosen her to be the "news caster." She could go on and on, but something about her demeanor just made everyone's eyes glue to her. "_Come together! We shall begin the revolt! We do not want a single leader, bent on killing us off if we so much as commit a petty crime! We _shall_ prevail! Band together! And in unison, we shall watch Kira fall!_"

And with that, the transmission blinked out. K made a small note of the surprise that flickered through Mello's eyes. Her little stunt was never in the original plans. And he knew it.

But she ironed out every detail—with the reluctant help of L—and she was more than satisfied when she saw the gob smacked faces, all twisted around.

"And that little broadcast, is now being shown all over the world,

"How do we know that this is not a fluke? Some scam to over throw my organization so that yours grows?" asked the Mafia boss.

"If it _were_ a fluke, then, I promise you, I would not have allowed Mello here to come, for one," she ticked off the reasons on her fingers. "I would have rigged the place with bombs, for two. I would not have come in at all unless I was suicidal, for three. And lastly, yeah, you would be bleeding on this grimy floor, _dead_," she added dryly, aiming a blank and guarded look at him. "But then again, I suppose you will just have to use that old trust we bosses have for one another, eh?" she questioned, placing her thumbs in her pockets.

"I don't trust you. We _can't_ trust each other, because, we are both lying scum bags, now, aren't we? Criminals by birth," He said. "But, we are all here to bring down Kira. Mello, is this woman telling the truth?"

K aimed her piercing eyes towards him, the barest flash of the child he used to be appearing before he chomped off another piece of his chocolate with a dramatic flourish. "Of course she is." He said indignantly, around a mouth of sugary confections.

She could feel the distrust radiating off of the boss, but she said nothing, knowing it would jeopardize her mission. "Well, then, I'm Rod Ross, Eve," He said, offering nothing but a curt nod.

"Duly noted, Rod Ross."

-

"Papa, when's mom supposed to call?" Asked a very dolled up Selena.

Lawliet glanced at the clock, then at his daughter. "In a little bit, Selena. Be patient."

"But I _can't_ be patient, you see," She said evenly, plopping down on the floor, Indian style. "I'm just not programmed that way. And Momma isn't here to play with me, Ryuuhei and Toshio are being complete buttheads and refuse to let me play with them, and I am not allowed to walk the _teensy-weensy_ little mile to the orphanage," she whined, placing her pointer and thumb close together to emphasize her point.

"So, I have decided to wait in here, dis-patiently, until that phone rings and I can speak to Momma," she said firmly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Selena, dis-patiently is not a word," L corrected. "Perhaps you meant 'impatiently.'"

"Yeah! That! And als—"

But the phone next to L rang, rather loudly as well.

Before he could even reach to get it, a blur jumped onto his lap already babbling away.

"_Yes, of course I'll buy you that dollhouse, how're your brothers? Your father?" _He could hear the need for answers in her voice.

"Selena, can I talk to your mother?" Lawliet asked sagely.

"Of course papa!"

"Hello?"

"_Are they alright? They haven't been causing _too_ much trouble, have they? Any time outs? Any dismantled furniture? What about you? How are you doing?"_ She asked, at the same speed as their daughter.

"In order: Yes, no, of course, no, I'm fine, and watching these surveillance tapes before I go put the children to bed."

"_Have you contacted Near yet?" _

"No. That will be next on the list of things I must do. It is a good thing I have Watari here."

He heard her sigh in discontent. "_Phase one is finished. Next up, phase two; then three weeks, I'll stop by the house. If all goes well, I suppose this case will finish quite soon. Aishiteru. Tell R, S and T I love them as well," _She said_._

"I love you, too, Eve," He said, hanging up the phone when he heard the click of her cell phone shutting.

"Shame on you papa! I wanted to talk to Momma! I was in the middle of telling her about Toshio and Ryuuhei being mean to me!" Selena protested, the fur on her tail standing on end.

Lawliet held down a sigh before pulling himself up. _I should put the kids to sleep before I finish watching the tapes…didn't she say that warm milk works…?_

-

K watched placidly as Mello gave the orders to kidnap Yagami Sayu; feigning lack of knowledge.

"And your opinion on this, Eve?" Rod Ross asked her, cracking his knuckles. K's feline instincts nearly took it as a challenge of dominance when he looked her straight in the eye, but she swallowed the urge to hiss.

"It's a brilliant idea. Attack the Task Force directly to get the note book, seems pretty damn plausible to me," she said, crossing her legs.

Rod Ross eyed her weirdly before nodding.

_Such a despicable creature,_ she thought, idly twirling her hair while watching everything through the corner of her eyes. _A completely despicable organization. Seeking only self-assigned goals, selfish in its entirety. But well equipped, if I were to wander on in here as Agent K, I would probably be shot._

Her eyes turned to look at all the other thugs (plus Mello). _I wonder… if I were to start a brawl, who would come out victorious? Would Mello jeopardize the mission in order to help me?_

_No. Probably not._

_The chances of us showing such a show of idiocy, one equal to Amane or Matsuda's blunders, are nil. Not to mention we'd sooner commit suicide than endanger the lives of our family. _

"Who will be on the team to capture Yagami's daughter?" She asked, shifting her hips so that she would not be squishing her tail under her parka.

-

Suture watched with practiced apathy as Beyond explained the situation to her.

"Having said that, it would give me more peace of mind if you carried this on your person," he finished, brandishing the small handgun in his rather pale hand.

Suture sighed, taking the gun out of his hand delicately. She had worked in close quarters with him for close to four and a half years, and in that time, she had learned that arguing against him was futile. He was the epitome of obstinate. And he deserved that title far more than any other person she had encountered.

"So, the scientists are plotting something, but which ones, and what they are planning, are beyond your scope of knowledge?" She verified, rubbing her forehead. _I should go find those Excedrin Migraine tablets._

"Precisely."

"This is turning out to be far more trouble than what I bargained for," Suture said, brushing some hair out of her face.

In the four years that they had worked at the hospital like Facility in China, she had seemed to have…aged.

When she came to the Facility with high hopes of assisting K in any possible way she could and possibly seeing her long time crush again—well, she was childishly buoyant and hopeful at 21.

Beyond—in his own detached way—had broken her.

With his unorthodox ways, he had forced her eyes open and made her see things from his perspective.

And she didn't like his perspective. Not one bit.

Her sanguine attitude and willingness to act had dwindled down with the long and horribly plausible explanations and theories.

In the years, she had come to see the truth in his words.

Thus, aging her far beyond her years.

She had fairly little to no experience when it came to actual detective or case work—save that short period of time she worked _with_ the task force of the Kira case— so, everything she heard or concluded her self, seemed to take on a more otherworldly type of characteristic.

Her eyes were more severe when they examined things, her ears attempted to pick up every hidden notion in K's voice, never noticing the cold hard sapphires that stared back at her in the mirror.

She still had that shred of hope—that perhaps Beyond had misconstrued K and L's mannerisms, colloquialisms and ways of life for something completely unrelated.

Suture was just like that.

Whichever alias you would call her by; Suture, S, Maria Johnson—or even her real name, Deliverance Luminista…

It was in her to try and strive for that small shred of hope.

So, even as she listened with rapt attention to Beyond's explanation of the tinny looking gun, she still tried to hang on to that small sliver of hope.

-

K's eyes were dark as she drove the sleek sports car, tailing behind the semi that held Yagami Sayu, Mello and the rest of Rod Ross's band of criminals.

She had willingly suggested she went alone to provide a Plan B should anything go awry with the original design…which was just some fancy words for "So that I can high-tail it out of here should you idiots screw up."

But her thoughts were idling on other matters.

Like the unbidden anxiety that churn in her stomach. For her family? For her "adopted" children? She didn't know, but it was starting to take a toll on her ability to keep her composure in check.

She sighed, giving her head a good shake before breaking the car as they got off an exit ramp and got caught in a red light.

K leaned her head on the steering wheel, turning it to the side ever the slightest.

But that was enough for her to catch a glimpse of the countless head stones, flowers and statues.

Her breath stalled, eyes widening fractionally and pupils shrinking at the sight.

_There's a procession of cars entering through the gates, _Kew noted.

But K's eyes had flickered over to the family of four huddled over a small headstone. Three adolescents clinging to what she assumed was the father, all of them bearing solemn faces.

Her heart gave a clench before the hurrying obnoxious honks brought her back to the moment, and she accelerated the car, weaving between others to get back behind the semi.

_The hell was that?_ K thought, heart racing.

_And you are asking us—why?_ Kat muttered sardonically. _We might feign it, but we don't have all the answers to the world! Damn it, I need to steal some of Mello's chocolate…see if it eases up my crankiness…_

K shook her head again, narrowing her eyes at the road.

-

_It had been a few days after L had woken up and "prescribed" bed rest. _

_But he really just wanted to start on cases, get caught up, so Kat had to figure out something interesting. _

_To keep him in his bed, all she needed to do was wriggle into his arms and feign exhaustion. _

"_L, do you believe in God?" Kat asked, curled up into him, hands crossed over the bump between her hips. _

_He had been taken by surprise._

"_I do not know…what brought this on?" He questioned, returning to petting her hair._

_She bit her lip, "It just, well, humans rely on this omniscient being in the sky…almost as a crutch of sorts. Something goes wrong—they turn to him, something goes right—they turn to him…which is then linked to religion…and all these people who believe in this being, but are pitted against each other… A series of problems, one I can't see the root of."_

_He paused, choosing his words carefully. "You are not supposed to. Belief is something that you choose. It is what you suppose will greet you in the afterlife. Whether you go through some superficial pearly gates into heaven, the ghoulish trap doors of hell, soul to be tortured by those you tormented or land in limbo and roam for all of eternity."_

_She sighed, looking pointedly at the frayed ends of her lounge pants. "You have yet to answer my question."_

"_Because I am not sure…I want there to be an afterlife, something better than what we have been forced through…" He trailed off. _

"_If there is nothing better after our deaths, I shall demand a refund," Kat said, unaware of the humor of her words._


	4. Remember me?

**Chapter 3**

**Editor/Coauthor: Kugnae-san**

The room was swathed in darkness, the only source of light coming from a rather tiny lamp in the farthest corner of the room.

"When are you going to finish telling me the plan?" Mello asked throwing a chocolate bar in the direction of the iridescent green eyes; never doubting that she would be able to snatch it out of the air.

"There is no plan," she said simply, tearing the foil off of the bar with her claw. "Just let you and Near quarrel until it is out of your system." _And assuming we are right, that will lead to the death of Kira. That is, as long as Lawliet does not choose to have a change of heart again. _

Mello huffed. "That's stupid. Knowing you and him, there _is_ a plan—you just aren't telling us because you're scheming behind our backs." And by "our" she guessed he meant Near, Matt and himself.

K shrugged noncommittally. "Possibly. But either way, for one of us to capture Kira, whether him, Near, you or I, we will need to act as if we have no prior knowledge of what is going on. We must surprise Light, confuse him, it will be the only way to corner him. To gather the necessary evidence that Yagami Light is Kira," She paused, looking at the blonde as his eyes narrowed at her. She flicked her hair back. "And if I'm right, you couldn't give two shits about prosecuting Kira. That's only a plus to defeating Near once and for all."

Mello gave K a half-hearted glare, ignoring the last part of her little monologue. "And the chances of this plan succeeding?"

K paused, mulling it over before pursing her lips. "There are three possible outcomes. The first, a successful plan, with no casualties—I'd give it a solid twenty percent. The second, a failed plan, with Kira killing the majority of us—I would deem it twenty percent as well. And the last, a successful plan with casualties," her eyes glimmered with an unknown emotion. "Sixty percent, at best."

Mello nodded, running a hand through his hair before starting on his third chocolate bar of the morning.

-

"Selena, stop being such an idiot," Ryuuhei told his younger sister as he zipped up his windbreaker, his lips twitching down.

"What the heck am I doing wrong now?" she asked, hands on her hips, eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. She was her mother's daughter, that was for certain.

Ryuuhei scowled irritably. "Prancing around as if we weren't doing something that could potentially get us punished for life."

Selena froze before walking stiffly over to her younger, less grouchy brother. "Toshio, what does 'potentially' mean?"

Toshio gave a soft smile as he pulled a beanie on over his ears, tail safely hidden under his own windbreaker. "It means, 'possibly,'" he provided.

Selena nodded before tightening the bow on her head, frowning when she felt her hair tickling her neck. _Itchy! How does Momma handle it?! I wish I could put them back up into pigtails!_

"Are you sure dad's asleep?" Ryuuhei asked, glancing in the mirror to make sure his hat was on properly, his short gelled hair sticking in all directions from under it.

"Uh, yeah," Selena said indignantly. "My eyes aren't going bad."

"Good, then we should be set to leave to go into town," Ryuuhei said, determination flashing through his eyes.

All three of them had heard of the legend that their father was, Mello even once said his knowledge was more than five ordinary investigative bureaus and seven intelligence agencies. Their mother wasn't quite at that level but she was made for stealth, therefore, the children had the ability to achieve that feat as well.

So, taking advantage of the fact that their mother was off on some long term mission, and their father was worrying himself into exhaustion, they (or rather Ryuuhei) decided to take a little trip around Winchester.

He and his siblings may have only been four, but their intelligence certainly was not. He had those files his mother had left lying around to thank, and his Aunt Suture.

-

"Karin."

The blue eyed woman continued shooting at the bull's eye, taking another drag from her cigarette.

"Karin!"

_I should try obstacle course five, see if I can beat my last time, maybe catch up to the guard's level of endurance,_ she thought, ignoring the person in the corner of her eye.

"Bloody hell, Karin!" he said, clapping a hand down on her shoulder.

She pivoted on her heel, swiping the barrel of her gun through the air, only to have her wrist caught by a man with hazel eyes and unruly chestnut colored hair.

Her mouth quirked down and she shook out of his grip, taking off her muffs. "What is it, Artemis?"

"Well, _now_ you ruddy hear me," he murmured sarcastically. "Eve sent Matt, said she needed him to do some sorts of business with you, and something about discussing some stuff as well."

"Oh really? And how come the Boss didn't tell me this herself?" she questioned, her lips pressing into a straight line and eyes flickering with an intense annoyance.

"Don't ask me, you know how she is. She has so many mood swings, they're hard to keep track of," Artemis said truthfully, recalling their one encounter in Japan—the way she shifted from emotion to emotion in only a short span of time.

Karin rolled her eyes, taking out her cigarette and blowing the smoke in Artemis's face. "Well then, bring him in."

"No need," came a voice from the door. "I'm already here." He flashed Karin a grin, red hair falling into his goggle clad eyes.

"Matt," Karin half-whispered placing the safety on her gun and putting it back in her holster. "What brings _you_ here, buddy boy?"

-

Kew frowned at Sayu as they unloaded her from the truck and prepared to set off for the Mojave Desert.

The girl was trembling so badly and her face was flushed. If it weren't for the gag, she surely would have been pleading for her freedom. Or who knows? She might've received the same intellect as her brother and planned something that would result in her escape.

_We've captured many other people and treated them worse than this, what's the problem with this one?_ K asked mockingly.

_Quiet,_ Kew murmured. _Yagami Sayu is not entitled to this simply because she is the younger sister of Kira. She is an innocent child._

_Yeah, and the chances of her _not_ coming out of this traumatized are…?_ Kat added. _Face it, Mello can be even more reckless than we are…He's said it himself a million other times, he just wants to beat Near. The title of "L" is lost to him, just as is "K" and all other letters. He is looking to prove himself to all of us, but what he will do when he accomplishes that is a mystery._

_Wow, never knew you had that much insight, bubble head._

_Just because we were all blinded for the first twenty five years of our life does not mean it will carry on as such. However, you remain to be as blunt and vulgar as usual, _Kat retorted.

_Calm down._

"All is set?" she asked for the sake of asking, placing her thumbs in her pockets.

"Yeah, I already contacted Yagami. Now we just sit and watch," Mello told her, observing the screen with a lax attitude that made K swell up with unseen pride. _He takes everything I taught him into practice. _Always_ be aloof, it will frustrate others, but it also conveys confidence. And that frightens people. Fear is a powerful thing; it can gain you authority and command in a situation._

"Hmm, and after this?" she asked. "I'll be leaving for the week of November eleventh."

Mello grunted, not even bothering to look in her direction. _If she thinks I am unable to decipher her _true_ meaning…_ "I'm not a child anymore, _Eve. _You have to understand that. I'll be fine by myself."

K clicked her tongue in a reprimanding way. "Yes, I know, and _you_ know that doesn't stop me from asking. Oh look, it's Yagami."

-

L clicked through some windows before settling his eyes on the murder scene for the umpteenth time that afternoon. By now he had it memorized and was simply going through the motions.

It was a fairly simple case—the murderer being completely obvious.

But once again, L found himself having to work backwards to _prove_ that the mother of three children had been the one to arrange for a hit man to kill off her husband and eldest child. Which was difficult at times, since most people didn't think in the same way as Lawliet did.

He stared at the scene harshly, teeth clamped on his thumb before turning around in his swivel chair to look at the evidence splayed over his desk, next to his coffee.

_Cornelia Walsh, 46, upper middle class business woman who just so happened to have had a grudge so large that it compelled her to kill off her husband Andrew and son Anthony. _He scrutinized the weapons even if he already knew that they wouldn't just randomly choose to come out and give him the answer.

_But any self respecting person would not just act on their grudge unless severely provoked. The hit man remains in jail while she walks around. _

_Unless,_ he plopped some sugar cubes into his tea. _Unless this woman is mentally unstable and had a grudge against her son. Yes, that would connect everything together. The neighbors all said that she was fairly detached from her son when he said he was part of a collaboration of people called the Anti-Kira Association. And apparently, according to what the younger children said, the father was set to join as well. But, is this woman a Kira follower? And is there some sort of pathological problem with her husband and son being against her views?_

L picked up his phone, the one that _didn't_ have a voice synthesizer in it. "Watari, could you please ask the police to investigate Cornelia Walsh's job? Have them ask if this woman was a Kira follower and have a psychiatrist analyze her. It could be possible that we have a mentally unstable woman here who killed her son and husband merely because they opposed Kira's views and were going to join an Anti-Kira Association," he explained.

"_Yes, L,"_ Watari said before hanging the phone up.

_Everything just links to Kira, doesn't it? It's ironic that someone who believes in Kira kills someone off, thereby committing a crime. But what seems to be even more depressing is that with Kira, these are the most interesting cases. No other criminals are brave enough to do anything that might peak my interest in the least._

Lawliet turned to his computer, quickly saving all the information he had discovered before reaching for opening up a drawer and taking out Kat's old laptop and opening the ICPO's video feed, the one Kat discovered the Kira case from in 2006.

"_This is outrageous! Anti-Kira Associations are popping up all over the place!" _L cocked his head to one side (much in the same way Kat does), _there goes that organization again. _

"_Yes we know," _said one rather elderly man. "_These organizations are a product of the Scarlet Snowflake broadcast, which were aired in many different cities around the world, in different languages."_

L frowned, _Scarlet Snowflake is the mafia company that K leads. Or rather her alias Eve leads. This could only mean that she is straying from the original plan of letting Mello and Near solve it with us lending a hand—the one safe plan we both agreed would be easiest given that we have a family now. _

_And if she is straying from the plan, she is doing it in a reckless way. One that only could mean that she is being drowned in emotional turmoil once more—but, the question is; what is the cause of it? _

"_But how to stop it?"_ Asked the head of Parisian police. "_If they go against Kira, they might be in danger. They might provoke him into killing them for their foolhardy decisions."_

"_We are not going to participate with this. There are already two different task forces working to capture Kira, even if it means the crime rates go back up," _Announced the American agent. "_We will leave it up to them, K and L are still working on it, if you have forgotten."_

"_But as far as we know, their reliability has become nonexistent! They have not contacted us or handed in Kira in the six years that they have been working on the case! This _one_ contingency that we should have seen coming! L and K _cannot_ capture Kira because Kira is justice himself, just as both the aforementioned people claim to be!" _The man panted, smoothing his suit in an attempt to retain his composure. _"For all we know, K and L have changed their minds and been swayed over to the side of Kira," _He finished coldly.

L disconnected the feed before he heard any further. _Swayed to the side of Kira? Not only does that sound incorrect _grammatically_, but also in the way that we would never think that Kira is justice. The very thought causes me to lose my appetite,_ he put down his cookie.

"Papa? Can we come in?" Toshio called, knocking on the door.

Lawliet quickly stowed all the bagged evidence into a box and shut it tightly before telling his children they could come in.

He eyed them for one moment. _They look like they haven't bathed in ages. Is…is that a ring of dirt around Ryuuhei's neck? _

"Papa, when's Momma coming? I miss her," Selena said, her ear twitching.

Lawliet scanned them all once more. They _did_ look on the sullen side today. "Your mother will be coming for the whole week of November 11th." He said simply, reaching over to pet Selena's hair before giving a small grin. "Would you three like to go to the Orphanage today?"

Needless to say, their reactions were predictable.

Selena beamed before jumping up and down, expressing her enthusiasm.

Ryuuhei pumped his fist in the air and Toshio had a very small grin on his face.

"But all of you must go bathe before we go."

This was not met with streamers and cheers.

As they all marched off to one of the many bathrooms in the house, L set to fixing the one problem on his mind. _She can't act this reckless. But to try and persuade her to think things through a tad bit more cautiously, I must act as if I am treading on egg shells. She is far too analytical and…I'll admit, a bit on the paranoid side when it comes to K herself, so to try and convince her without the equivalent of World War III and IV erupting in our house would mean that I would have to play to her weaknesses._

-

Kat only had one thing on her mind as a subordinate of Rod Ross's wrote down the majority of the SPK's names down in the notebook. _I have found a more repulsive weapon than a firearm. If it only takes being able to aim with the skill of a three year old to shoot a hand gun, then to use that disgusting notebook all it takes is the ability to write. The most cowardly thing in the world, surely. _

She turned her head away from him, a scowl itching to appear on her face as her stomach churned with the same anxious emotions as before. "Excuse me, I have to make a phone call," she announced blankly, already striding to her quarters.

Her boots made that insufferable clicking sound as she made her way through the dimly lit hallways, words from what seemed like lifetimes ago entering her head.

"_It's so flattering of you to suggest I would go commit suicide," she said flatly. "No. In another time and place, I would have. I want nothing to do with the task force as it is now, they are far too biased. As it is, you actually have some potential to see around everything. Just…Please remember that first Kira is to Light, as L is to Ryuuzaki. And the second Kira is to Misa as Agent K is to Kew Keikan," she muttered, before giving him some orders to abide by and shooing him out._

She made sure the thumb turn lock was secured before she went to the farthest corner of the room and pressed the speed dial nine, glancing at the clock momentarily.

"_Hello?"_

"Why hello there, Aihara-san," K addressed, switching over to Japanese without skipping a beat.

"_Who is this?" _he asked, a slightly irritated tenor entering his voice.

"You forget me after only four years of departure—that truly is sad. And I went through all of the trouble of acquiring your new cell phone's number as well," she said blankly. But on the inside both Kat and Kitten were off pouting somewhere about how easily people forgot about her.

"_I won't ask again, if you do not tell me who you are, I will hang up and report you to the local authorities,_" he said firmly. K nearly guffawed. _Me, captured by local authorities? Sounds like a load of bullcrap to me. _

"I assure you that from the information that I will replay to you that _you_ will be able to deduce my identity without much trouble," she said, still completely apathetic, not that the voice synthesizer would convey any emotion anyways. "First of all, the authorities would not be able to catch me because this number has been scrambled five times—and you know only two people who have ever done that. Second, does the phrase 'porcelain heart' mean anything to you? Third, to quote a movie I once saw, 'remember remember, the fifth of November,' however, I suggest you apply it not to the 1600s but the 21st century, if you will. And fourth, do you recall when I said the following: _We may seem like two sick and twisted delinquents, Aizawa-san, but we have solved a great many cases with these methods of ours. Be thankful that Ryuuzaki chose to confine them, for what I was thinking was more vivid then your worst nightmare." _

Silence in which K counted off to one hundred and fifty-seven.

"_Kokoro?"_

"Yes. Finally, Aihara. Now, are you alone?"

"_Yes," _he answered, still sounding a tad bit star struck.

_-_

**A/N: And I am dead set on something here. Me and my editor-slash-coauthor ****Kugnae****-san have something planned, how you all react to it is…well, a mystery since we are "testing the waters," so do speak. Please excuse any late updates, Kugnae-san has exams coming up and I am going to be on a trip this week. But I will try to get another chapter out! Please review! (And thank you to all of you who have read my other stories as well!) If you want a better summary of this sequel, feel free to go to my profile and scroll down to where **Obvious Vexation** is. Much better than the limited one I had before. **

**-Maddy**


	5. Mr GameboyGeekFreak

**Chapter 4**

**Edited by Kugnae-san**

_**11: 05 PM, December 25**__**th**__**, 2005**_

_K sipped at her champagne, green eyes skirting around the room for any signs of suspicion._

_She was at a ball of sorts. _

_Her hair was curled and pinned at just the right angles to conceal her ears but still look "pretty"… her tail was awkwardly twisted around her upper thigh and she was dressed in a strapless black satin dress with a slit that ended on her lower thigh for convenience. _

_Her gun was hidden in a holster on her thigh, some daggers hidden in nearly invisible pockets in the dress and two spring loaded blades on her wrists under the gloves. _

_And, since it was a masquerade ball, she had a feathery black mask perched on her face. _

L said to remain inconspicuous…make sure no one comes in to assassinate the Princess or the Princes, _K thought, striding across the room in the shadows, turning down those who asked her to dance.  
_

And he gave us the bare minimum, as well. How are we supposed to capture something we cannot even recognize? _Kew added._

Whoever they are, they will most likely end up either attempting to kill in a showy way, or silently,_ K corrected, leaving the main room through a big arc, her heels echoing through the nearly vacant castle. _

_Her eyes scanned the roof and all the dark points behind the towering marble obelisks, the candles casting flickering shadows over her features along with an orange tinge and emerald eyes to take on an eerie glow._

Five passage ways in this corridor, _they thought. _Two of which have secret pathways that lead in to the castle's main ball room…. Probability of the secret passage way? Seventy-five point three percent…given the previous track record of this particular criminal…The probability of it being a silent kill being about eighty-three point seven percent…So our best bet is to hunt around this area…_she concluded, eyes zeroing in on every nook and cranny that would have been hidden from the normal human eye._

_Her ears twitched underneath her hair, and her head snapped up when she heard the distinct thud of footsteps echoing from one of the passage ways. Without a second thought, K hurled herself down the corridor, determination setting in her eyes. _

_The passage was nearly black as pitch, with the only source of light coming from the small slits in the wall that let small slivers of moonlight shine through, the musty smell irritated her and she could hear the stumbling ahead of her quicken. Whoever the perpetrator was, they were giving chase… _

…_Which was horrible for them, seeing as K had that animalistic instinct to attack _anything_ that attempted to escape from her clawed grasp. _

You're mine!_ K thought wildly, pouncing just as her eyes caught a flash and the obnoxiously loud report of a gun. _

"_GAH!" _

**-**

Kat curled up on her side, covering her eyes with the heels of her hands, her claws raking across her scalp.

Another headache. Or migraine. Whatever they were called.

They had started up again shortly after the kids were born…much to her chagrin.

They weren't as horrific but they were more frequent, thus more annoying and aggravating. She had to retreat into her room rather than play with the kids or go out on a mission whenever they happened…

…and she especially hated it when they teamed up with thunderstorms.

Along with the headache, the booming noise would reach her delicate ears, cause her to grit her teeth through all of her uselessness and whimper until it all cooled down.

She made a point of disappearing from the house whenever that happened seeing as she didn't want to worry L and she didn't want the children to be scarred for life from seeing their mother in so much pain.

_Shit, shit, shit…I'm supposed to be getting ready to go to the airport dammit! I can't sulk around because of a stupid headache! Stupid hybridization side effects!_

Another thing she had been informed of…her DNA had the potential to just…unravel, so to speak.

Hybrids like her were rare, especially to have lasted so long.

But it remained to be seen that it was unnatural for a cat to be combined with a human. _If God had wanted it that way, then humans would have cat ears and cats would be able to talk._

Her DNA had the possibility of just unraveling—trying to revert back to cat and human, you could say.

Which was something that Watari, L and her had discussed once she was three months into her pregnancy…

And because she had children, she had decided to go back to the scientists that created her and allowed them to test her in whichever way was necessary to determine the stability of her DNA. They once even tried to cajole her into bringing her children to be experimented on as well.

But she ended up cheerfully (she had a scowl, with sparks practically ricocheting off of her eyes) knocking out that one naïve human before stalking away.

They wanted to get their hands on her kids to see how many human traits they retained, and how many of _her_ traits.

Another source of her worry: would they die one day _because_ she was an experiment? Would Lawliet because she had wanted to protect him with a serum that was design for other purposes? Would Watari?

The list was endless and filled with too many variables to even entertain the notion of coming up with probabilities of each of these occurring.

She shook her head before trudging across the length of the room and picking up her duffel bag.

_Lawliet should have moved the children to the safe house near Greater LA by now…_Kat noted, turning the knob on her door with spindly-looking and lacerated hands.

She hefted the strap over her shoulder before trudging out into the hallway, flinching momentarily at the faulty lighting before letting her cat eyes adjust. _It should take only fifteen minutes if I take the fast car…it'll seem like less if I listen to some music…but I have to remember to abide by the speed limits, because obviously I cannot call attention to a certain car…K's word _has_ been established in the United States, but that would mean giving away my position. _

_To hell with it—I'll use the fast one. I'll just go by the norm driving rules…geez, more of a pain in the ass than Kitten or Misa…_K thought irritably, snatching the keys off of a little hidden compartment in the wall. (_"Mello, damn it, it worked pretty damn well at headquarters in Japan. Just ask this Mafia boss to do it. He's like putty in your hands, remember?" "Fine, God damn it.")_

-

Aizawa clenched his fist while looking at some yellowed notes he had from 2007…

Everything he had ever researched on K was placed in front of him.

Back when he thought she was going to either commit suicide or just go and let herself be killed by Kira, he had set to discover as much as he could about the aloof woman…about L's partner in "crime," so do speak.

_She was born Kew Keikan…Keikan from the Japanese donor named, oddly enough, Keikan Hiro…and Kew from the fact that the female ova came from a Chinese woman named Li…and from what she has discovered as of now, she is only fifty percent human caused by the "screwing up" of her DNA. _

_She was born in China from an artificial womb as with many other copies like her but she was the only one efficient enough to progress and earn her place in the laboratory…_

_But they wanted to terminate her the day she was saved by one W and W. One of which is known as the alias Watari and the name Quillish Wammy. _

Aizawa shook his head at the rest of his notes…just clippings from newspapers about "Saionji Tomoe" and the winner of a Brazilian Capoeira ring contest that went by the name Kale Kimo… the trail was subtle but obvious: Kale Kimo, Kew Keikan, Kokoro, Iida Kaori…. And then one solitary page of information on her with "Wammy's House for Gifted Children" written across the top in a fancy font.

-

"Who are all of these people, Arty?" Karin questioned Artemis, flicking the ashes of her cigarette into an empty Dunkin' Donuts coffee cup.

Artemis resisted the urge to wring the girl's neck at the annoying nickname she had christened him with. "Potential members of the now International Anti-Kira Association: or the International AKA…all of which are waiting for either _you_ or Eve to come up and start some sort of speech," he said through clenched teeth, wondering where the hell he had put his untouched Whisky bottle.

"They want us to jabber our jaws off at them? Are they insane? This wasn't part of the program…" she muttered the last part to her self before getting her phone.

"No need," Matt said coming out from a shadowed corner in the same eerie way that Eve did…except that he had a flashing Nintendo DS Generation 3. "She said that you could take care of it. Said to talk about the safety measures being taken and possible plans of action."

"And why the hell would she tell _you_ this, Mr. Gameboy-Geek-Freak?" asked Karin testily.

Matt grinned teasingly pausing his game, "You already forgot that I was her apprentice? I didn't know you had that short of a memory, Karin."

The woman frowned, barely noticeable splotches of red appearing on her cheeks. "Oh, just shut up."

She took a drag of her cigarette before tossing it in the Dunkin' Donuts cup and making her way to the front of the large conference room, whispering rippling through the crowd with every step.

Her eyes scanned the people, all of different nationalities and colors and shapes and sizes, she noted. "Good evening," she began, putting her elbow on the podium and propping her chin up. "I am Karin K. Tailor, the spokeswoman of Scarlet Snowflake and the International Anti-Kira Association," clapping and cheering erupted once she gave them a chance.

"All of you who are here have been put through extensive background checks, courtesy of Eve herself, in order to make sure that none who step foot within the premises have ever been affiliated with Kira, any possible opposing Mafia circuit—" Nervous chatter here. Oops, was she supposed to _not_ say that? "—or, of course, undercover police officers ready to arrest the lot of us.

"Now, assuming that all of you are here to join in on the plans and have already given us your word that none of the information that is heard here leaves this facility, _under pain of death,_ we shall inform you of some details that you may or may not have been aware of. Scarlet Snowflake, for those of you _not_ in any anti-terrorist group, is in all essence…a crime syndicate: in laymen's terms, we are a Mafia organization, Yakuza—" The nervous chatter rose here. "Those of you who do not think that we can pull off the '_under pain of death'_ clause of our contract should now be assured that we _can_ and _will_ if need be." Karin gave the whole room an icy glare.

Then she smiled warmly. "But let's hope it does not come to that, shall we? Please trust that we will get rid of all information on you and or your families once Kira is no longer at large and we will disappear from your lives as soon as that is done. Now, as for the plans laid out by Eve and a few of her associates…"

Matt smirked from a corner at Karin as she started rallying everybody up, not one eye leaving her. _Ironic that the one working with a "dangerous Yakuza boss" is L…how long till sis chooses to reveal that she is _Agent K_ to these unsuspecting people?_

-

Kat sneaked into the house, glancing around half-heartedly before saying, "I'm home." She knew everyone would be able to hear her.

And no sooner did she speak when three blurs tackled her to the ground, her breath escaping through her lips with an "_Oomph." _

"Momma! Momma! Papa took us to the Orphanage where you and him grew up while we were in England! He showed us your room and even let us play with the other kids!" Selena babbled, her eyes glittering with light.

"We missed you!" Both Toshio and Ryuuhei chimed in perfect synchronization as Selena kept on babbling a mile a minute.

"And I missed you all, as well," Kat said, pushing herself up to give them all a small kiss on the forehead. "Now, anyone know where Papa is?"

Ryuuhei frowned, "He's in his study…"

"Yes, he said something about …" Toshio jumped in, his lips quirking down.

"…Danger!" Selena finished. "But I think he fell asleep a few minutes ago…"

Kat cocked her head to one side, straining her ears to hear the slow thumping of a sleeping Lawliet right upstairs.

"Right," she put her index finger flush against her lips. "Let's not wake him up, okay? Why don't you guys go to the playroom, I'll meet you there." And she made her way to the stocked up fridge, seeing Watari already in the kitchen.

"Watari, good to see you again," she said with a small bow.

"And you too, Kat," he said kindly, chopping up some vegetables, a sweet smell coming from the oven.

-

Suture leaned against a wall, trying to catch her breath.

The gun was in white-knuckled grip, parallel to her face.

She had heard something she _wasn't_ supposed to her hear.

The scientists had been experimenting again. On living organisms.

This one was a feline-human hybrid, a little boy with scruffy hair and bony structure. As much as she wanted to burst in there and rescue the boy…she couldn't.

She gritted her teeth, brunette curls sticking to her face, her heart beating as if it wanted to burst right out of her chest. _"…the last of the Z series…how are the tests coming along? How has he reacted to that poison?"_

She wasn't K or Beyond, she couldn't just burst in their with a huge amount of arrogance leading her, and just shoot everyone and help the boy escape. She didn't possess that savage bloodlust needed to kill. Sure, she could examine dead bodies, but being the one to _cause_ the death just caused bile to rise up in her throat.

And if she told B, he would most likely kill them all.

He _had_ been mumbling about having seen someone's lifespan having counted down in the hallway…but to her knowledge, he hadn't come in contact with them at any other time.

_This is…crap. Complete and total crap…what the heck am I supposed to do now?_

-

_**11: 48 December 25**__**th**__** 2005**_

_K gritted her teeth before flicking her wrist so that the dagger could "jump" into her palm, then chucking it Frisbee style at the stupid wannabe assassin with her good arm, a steady stream of blood coming from her shoulder wound. _

_She gave a satisfied smirk when she heard the thump and squelch of the body hitting the ground. _

_But it quickly disappeared as she brushed her hair away to reveal her headset, "I have captured him. We are in the southern underground passageway," she said simply. _

_And then she leaned against the wall and began the tedious process of turning her dress into little strips to bandage herself with. _

He knew I was going to be reckless, that's why he teamed up with me on this one…Twenty-three years old, and I can't even manage something so simple without an injury…

**A/N: Comments? Reviews? A "this sucks" a smiley even? Please? Foreshadowing and some Matty-boy (Please don't let BH-chan chuck things at my head for calling him "Mr. Gameboy-Geek-Freak") Anyone understand why I put that one flashback in? Lots of K in this one, L in passing but for good reason….That you'll find out next chapter. My updates are coming quicker because most of my exams are over and the teachers are cooling down, I got a six on the FCAT WRITES (Six out of Six…it's an essay…)!!!!!! REVIEW!**

**-Maddy**


	6. Agony

Chapter 5

**Edited by Kugnae-san**

"So many Anti-Kira groups are arising…" L mumbled to himself, only barely noticing the rising voices of his children. But that was a normal thing for them.

"Most of the SPK has been killed as well, Yagami Sayu is traumatized and the headquarters of this International Anti-Kira Association is well hidden…"_ Most likely K's doing, or Kew's since Kat or Kitten can't stand not sharing information with me…unless all of the personas are aggravated with me…then they would all revert to hiding all information for me or worse; going on an emotional tyrant that would affect their missions. _

…_An International Anti-Kira Association...? The only feasible reason she may have created that was to have some sort of back up…some sort of proof that the world has not gone to ruins in the time it has been under the iron fist rule of a morally bankrupt human…that not everyone is living in cowardice…that some humans can actually grasp the fact that Kira is _wrong_, that Kira most definitely is _not_ justice._

L stirred his tea absent mindedly._ And then…there is the fact that Suture and Beyond have been out of contact for quite some time now…_

He shook his head, and what seemed like hours later, he turned off his computer, climbing out of his swivel chair; thrusting his hands into his pockets with thoughts of sweets haunting his mind.

L turned his head when his enhanced ears heard the clicking of the door opening.

A salt-and-pepper head peeked around cheekily, face only slightly flushed from play fighting with the children, no doubt. "You arrived already." More of a statement than a question on his part.

She grinned, "Yes, and I was tackled at the door then informed that you were asleep," she walked over to him. "Judging by the fact that you are in the _office_ room, I suppose you were not sleeping, am I correct in that assumption?"

Lawliet brought his thumb to his lip, gray eyes boring into her own green ones. "Completely right," he said, smiling faintly.

Kat didn't know about Lawliet, but she was positively ecstatic at seeing him again. It was so refreshing (sometimes it was a pestilence to her…especially when they were arguing) and made her forget for just a moment about everything that had been happening.

She boldly made her way to him, giving him a soft kiss on the lips. Short and sweet.

She smirked and pulled away, "We didn't get interrupted _that_ time."

L released one of his hands from his jeans and wrapped it around her waist possessively. "No we did not…" he admitted, burying his face in her hair.

K grinned before grabbing his hand and leading him to their bedroom.

-

Representatives swarmed a small house in southern France, gas masks attached to their faces, a team already ahead of them and scanning for radiation.

"What do we have here?" the man asked in accented French, he had been appointed as squad leader.

"Hydrogen Cyanide, sir," said one, swishing a boxy, blinking device through the air and reading the chemical formula that appeared on the touch screen. A Chemical Weapon Identifier, or CWI, it had been developed near the end of 2010 and been put into mass production a few short months thereafter. It took samples of the air, and as the name stated, identified the chemicals in the air and if they were on the international list of chemical weapons.

Not that there was much need for CWIs much. The only reason they would need them was if a war suddenly came up or if they had to do a special air check, like the one they were doing right then.

"No one take the masks off," came a voice. "Hydrogen Cyanide is lethal. It can cause asphyxiation with in ten minutes; in concentrated amounts, it can kill within sixty seconds."

"Got it," the squad leader said, moving through the rest of the building, gun in hand. There was a reason his group was chosen for this particular task—they had all been associated with some kind of armed forces before they joined. And because of that, the background check they went through and the contracts were more stringent than anyone else's.

His eyes raked up and down the hallways, moving in a half crouch and opening doors left and right, feeling as if someone was breathing down his neck.

The last door at the end of a very contemporary hallway came, and he motioned to the men with the battering ram to tear it down.

What they saw when the door crashed down was a very repulsive sight.

Three corpses all sprawled on the ground haphazardly, faces frozen in horror for the rest of eternity, hands grasping throats and chests, lips blue…

All were wearing white doctors' coats.

Directly across from the bodies were blinking computers of the latest kinds, monitors nearly paper thin and completely see-through, held up on thin steel rods that connected to a modem that was in the wall.

The squad leader let the rest of the team exam the bodies while he pulled over the computer specialist to the machines, completely ignoring the bodies. To this day, he still couldn't stomach corpses. "Anything you can tell me about these?"

The specialist nodded, "One of the newest CPUs out there, doctors and select bureaus of investigation use it, it has to be at least a Gen. 3 for it to be used here…."

"Can you hack it?" The leader asked, glancing at the glass like monitors.

"These things are finger print sensitive, retina scan and have a bunch of security on them, they were designed for both confidentiality and keeping the ICPOs top secret files under wraps. We'll have to take the whole thing back to the LA headquarters and have Eve's apprentice try his hand at it. He'll probably be able to hack into it without any of the files being lost," said the specialist, adjusting his mask slightly.

"Got it," he turned to the other members of his squad. "Get the bodies out of here along with these computers, take the modem and make sure that none of the hardware is damaged. Search the place for anything relevant then we'll burn the place. There's no telling when the local police will be coming and we cannot afford that."

-

Kai bit his tongue, amber eyes watering from the pain of the shock collar.

_And they just sit back and watch! We should tear them to pieces…! _A voice growled in the back of his mind.

_Shut up! They would just shock us again!_ He growled right back, panting as the shock dimmed down into nothingness.

He had been captured. How? He didn't know. He had been hunting around LA when he was a child, during the Wara Ningyo Murders in 2006, nearly seven years ago. He had been on the move ever since, never using the same alias, never going to the same place twice.

But something had lured him back to LA, a certain scent. Something human yet not, something feline, yet not…and he was positive it wasn't his scent because it was female and recent. And had the lingering scent of others.

And then, he was ambushed by some people speaking a funny language.

Ambushed—in the dullest of ways of course.

A tranquilizer rammed into his neck while he was sifting around a dumpster in an alleyway behind a pizza parlor…and they had prior knowledge of his abilities too.

They made sure to gag him to prevent him from ripping the humans apart with his slightly sharper canines, they bound his hands with duct tape so that he couldn't claw his way out of the situation and they put weights on his ankles and back to prevent him from making a typical feline move and sprinting away.

Then they gave him a heavy dose of some sort of sedative and he was out for the count.

He awoke who knows how much hours later, in a room with white washed walls and a one way mirror, walls clawed away, and a straw matt in the corner.

Not only that, but he had a shock collar around his neck that was attached to the muzzle.

From what scarce English words he heard from them, they were taking as many precautionary measures to make sure that he did not end up like the K series.

Kai ran a tanned hand through his snowy hair, sighing hopelessly. He would have to learn how to survive all over again, this time inside of a dangerous facility.

_Geez, all other teenagers get to run around and go to school. Where do I end up? With cat features and being tortured…like, _this_ isn't twisted._

_-_

K flicked on the TV, curled up by L, watching the newscaster jabber about an explosion in a vacant building in LA. Needless to say, horror and anger seeped through her system as soon as she saw it.

"…_Mello…"_ She muttered, barely feeling L's hand on hers as he tried to both grasp the situation and comfort her.

"_Fortunately, there was only one casualty. Our sources say that it was a one Soichiro Yagami,"_ The newscaster butchered his name.

_Soichiro Yagami? _L thought. _Light's father? Than this was something to do with Kira? Did he kill his own father?_

K couldn't take it anymore.

She got up from the couch in one of her blindingly fast movements, her mind already coming up with a way to kill Kira in the most painful yet secretive way while the other personas were trying to figure out where Mello might have gone.

But a hand caught her wrist mid-stride.

"K, _no,_" Lawliet said sternly, eyes zeroing on hers, hand clamped on hers in a white knuckled grip. _She's going to do something irresponsible and hasty that could potentially leave the children without a mother and …_

_Is—is he reprimanding us?!_ K seethed. "And why the hell n—nnngh!" She clapped her hands to her temples, eyes squeezing shut in pain. Had someone shot her head or something?!

She buckled to the ground, knees hitting the carpet with a solid _thud_. No, she hadn't been shot… just a big migraine.

_What the hell are _you_ doing?! Huh?! Are you going to run around the world looking for your favorite?! Maybe it's your favorite's _corpse_?! It can't always be jump in with guns blazing! _Kew yelled, making K wince.

_I'm not like L! I can't stay in one place and plan! It _will_ kill me! Pain is only a message! I will grit my teeth! Just let me go do what I want!_

_Stop being such a child,_ Kat added. _We're nearly thirty. We're going to die someday; we'll rot, and be under a tombstone forgotten. You need to accept the fact that people _die_. And if you can't be rational about things, then you can't do anything at all. Sit down and think things through._

_Oh, wow, look, the little brat's finally grown a backbone!_

_Shut up! _Kat retorted.

Another wave of pain electrocuted her body, little red crescents forming along her palms from her "nails" digging into them.

"You are in no condition to go anywhere," L told her, keeping his distance from her claws. He ignored the vicious glare and snarl thrown his way. "Just plan things out at least."

"_No!_" K nearly yelled. "I will do what I want, when I want, _not_ because someone _tells me to fucking do it!_" And she ran out of the room.

Lawliet was left there, looking after her. 

-

Selena ran into Toshio and Ryuuhei's room, tears running down her cheeks. She jumped onto the bed and tackled one of them, sobs beginning to wrack her body.

"Why are they fighting?! I don't like it when they fight!" she whimpered as she heard the slamming of the front door and the distant sound of an engine revving to life before it screeched onto the road.

Ryuuhei patted her hair awkwardly, "I-I think it's something about Mello…"

Toshio pulled himself closer to his siblings. "The-They said something about Momma not being in any condition to go anywhere…she wants to do what she wants…"

"B-but," Selena sniffled, looking up at her brothers through teary eyes. "She'll come back, right?"

Ryuuhei shut his eyes as Toshio grabbed the covers to what was _his_ bed and pulled it over them. "I'm…not sure."

"I-it's late. We should try to go to sleep…"

Selena nodded, lying down, "I don't want to sleep alone tonight…"

"That's fine. Neither do we," Toshio said softly.

Selena closed her eyes, _Momma, please come back. I promise not to go out to town without papa's permission. I promise not to ask for so many things. Please, just come back…_

-

K barged into the headquarters to the AKA, thankful that her hair was still dyed red. A few people gave her scathing glares for running through so unceremoniously. She walked straight through the security check, pushed people out of her way and got to the receptionists desk. A new girl was there.

"Get me Matt in here. _Now,_" she demanded, slamming a gloved fist onto the table.

"Do you have an appointment with Mr. Matt?" she asked. _Since when does Matt get called "mister"? _

"Get him in here," K growled, her lip beginning to lift up in a snarl.

"I'm sorry, miss, but you'll need an appointment just like everybody else that walks through this door," she said, trying to be patient.

K snapped and just grabbed the phone, dialing a select few buttons and getting the machine. "MATT?! Get your ass down here! Pack light!"

_Now we have to go get Mello…or what might be left of him…_

_Get out of the knee-deep crap you've stepped in,_ Kat added, petulantly.

_And make sure you haven't traumatized the children…_Kew finished.

_And Lawliet! Don't forget Lawliet! You must've hurt his feelings! _Kitten said, a slight sniffle to her words.

-

Lawliet rubbed his forehead, completely tired.

K…some days he truly believed she would be the downfall of their relationship. The persona was so _reckless_ and obdurate and all the things that frustrated him rolled into one…

He got up from the couch groggily, his ears still ringing from the screeching of the sports car.

_The kids…I have to make sure they didn't wake up…_

He trudged through the maze of hallways until he came up to Selena's room…but when he peeked in, he saw her empty princess bed.

A slight bit of panic seized his chest before he made his way to the boys' room.

And in there he found his missing cat girl.

Selena was in between both of her brothers, Ryuuhei and Toshio with an arm around her. All three had dried tear tracks going down their faces and staining each others' shirts.

He shook his head, before shutting the door quietly.

_She's going after Mello. But…is there a way for me to persuade her to come back?_

_No. She'll bring back the whole "I can do whatever I want" monologue. _

_If I can't persuade her than I shall try and convince her to go somewhere else…manipulate her? No…just guide her, _he walked into their room, settling himself back on the couch, eyes calculating as he pulled his knees to his chest.

_What would cause her to turn around, no, run away sprinting from her task of finding Mello…?_

_But what are the chances that he is even dead? Very low…She'll most likely end up finding him…she'll do something careless as well, no doubt. She already organized a whole association…who's to say she won't end up gallivanting up to Kira and simply crushing his skull?_

_No. That would be an insult to all of us. We want him thrown in jail and humiliated. To be with the people he's been murdering in cold blood. _

_So, the chances are that she will hand around Mello, going along with his plans…but how to get her to return?!_

He glanced at the out-dated laptop on the desk, enhanced eyes landing on the little pop-up, "One new email from Suture. Urgent."

-

Karin was left alone in the room, looking over some tapes.

Eve had barged in and snatched Matt away, both a bit frantic in their movements. She shrugged it off.

She wasn't going to pry. She'd probably end up with a hole in her head anyways.

Her eyes scanned the tape from 2007, the one of Lind L. Tailor posing as L.

_Hmm, brother, you were such an idiot to have agreed to it,_ she mused bitterly, staring at the image of him as he fell of heart attack.

Her eyes remained glazed over until he heard a troubling voice.

She gaped at the screen, "The-this can't be!"

But it could. She compared the features, the voice, the predator like cadence of her steps.

Could—could it actually be?!

**A/N: Please review. New pictures on my deviantart account of nearly everyone. **


	7. Hide And Seek Where Did She Go?

**Chapter 6**

Edited By Kugnae-san

Lights flickered in Kai's eyes, almost as if dancing to his agony.

The scientists had finally lost their minds. They were making sure he did not end up like the K series, but they were apparently giving him the same treatment as it.

The poisons…gunshots…surgeries…

He must've done something seriously fucked up in a previous life to deserve what was happening to him. Sure, even in this life he had some karma stacked up against him from stealing, but that was for _survival._ Not that he believed in that karma crap.

His eyes flicked over to the door that separated him from the scientists, smelling a different scent than usual. But it had something wicked dancing around him, something intensely evil. Even in his out of commissioned state, his fur stood on end from the lingering scent.

His ears pointed at the door, half-lidded eyes almost trying to see _through_ the door. "This-this isn't right…I-I hope K gets here soon…"

Kai shut his eyes, _Female voice. But why does she smell so…why does it smell like death? She doesn't sound like the type to go off and kill people on a whim. _

And then the scarce colors in his vision went spiraling away until he was left alone with himself in the dark confines of his subconscious.

-

L opened up the email, eyes widening fractionally as his eyes scanned over the words quickly memorizing it in his uncanny way.

_URGENT! _

_L, K, or whoever might be reading this (Though I suggest if you're not one of the before mentioned people, you stop reading this right now),_

_I have found the most disturbing thing happening here at the facility in China. A young boy, no more than fourteen or fifteen, has been captured. _

_They somehow caught him and smuggled him in here without B or myself knowing. From what I have been able to see of the files, he is from the Z series of the feline-human hybrid experiments. He had been released from the facility in the United States after some animal activists discovered it a few years ago. He was one of the children to have escaped. _

_They captured him in Greater LA, dumpster diving and quickly apprehended him, tranquilizing him and taking precautions against his feline traits. _

_I stumbled across him a few days ago. After Beyond instructed me to shoot down anyone suspicious. I am afraid for the boy. _

_I have not told Beyond because he will most likely kill the boy in one of his rages. _

_Please send someone as soon as the resources are available. I shall try and gather more information for you all._

_-S_

Lawliet's hands clenched into fists before he took a big breath. _No, this is very fortunate. I must nip my rosebuds while I may. _

He quickly pressed the "Reply" button with his index finger before pulling out the clear key board and writing a simple statement.

_To S,_

_I understand. Please do not do anything rash. _

—_L _

-

Karin took a deep breath, resisting the animal urge to punch the wall repeatedly.

_I can't believe it,_ she pressed the rewind button on the tape and paused it when the cameras focused on K. _How could this be? _

Gritting her teeth, she smashed the call button on her phone. "Artemis? Get your ass down here! I have to show you something that beloved Eve and Gameboy-geek-Freak just conveniently _forgot_ to tell us!"

"_Fine, just don't get your panties in a knot,_" he muttered before hanging up.

She nearly paced a whole in the floor by the time Artemis arrived, and when he did, she nearly ripped his arm off while pulling him in front of the TV she had set up.

"Bloody 'ell! What's your problem?!"

She pressed the play button and spoke through gritted teeth, "Just watch the damn video, and look closely at Agent K."

And he did.

"_I am the head of a special police task force which includes members of all nations, my name is Lind L. Tailor, otherwise known as 'L.'_" A small screen in the corner of the TV was focusing on everything Agent K did while balancing on the building. He caught the way she sighed in a hopeless manner.

_That's familiar…_

"_Criminals all over the world are being murdered by a serial killer; I believe this to be the most atrocious act of mass murder in history. Kira, I will hunt you down, I will find you._" K's eyes were half way glazed over…

_I've seen that before…_Artemis thought.

"_Kira, I have a pretty good idea of what your motivation is and I can guess what you hope to achieve, but what your doing right now– is evil!_" he said, K jumped onto the ledge of the building she was on, wind tussling her purple hair as she looked down through yellow eyes. K turned her head one way, indicating she was making sure something was there before muttering something into a highly futuristic looking headset.

_Is that a Gen2 FHS? But those weren't released until winter of 2008…_

He examined the little barely visible pale receiver in her ear and the spindly little wire that abruptly stopped half way to her mouth. It was so tiny and seemed so frail, with the one opal light blinking on the receiver.

And then Lind L. Tailor fell to his death, clutching his chest…

"_I had to test this just in case, but I never thought it would actually happen. Kira, it seems you can kill people without having to be there in person."_ the synthetic voice said. The one nearly everyone on the planet came to recognize as L.

"_Listen to me, Kira, if you did in fact kill Lind L. Tailor, the man you just saw die on television, I should tell you he was an inmate whose execution was scheduled for today. That wasn't me._" K tensed her muscles, latching her fingers onto the edge of the building, leaning her body back in a swimming pose.

"_But L is real, I do exist. Now, try to kill me!_" he continued.

_Sometimes, I wonder if L was either an idiot or just had too much hubris…_

"_What are you waiting for?_" L continued to taunt.

"_Come on! Go ahead and kill me!_" K tilted her head, just barely, as if listening to all of the words below her. But how was it possible for her to do that?

"_I'm still here, can't do it, Kira_?" L went on, "_Evidently you aren't able to kill me_." the synthetic voice said calmly.

K smirked, "_My turn L, introduce me to this 'Kira_,'" she commanded, (at least from what he could read off of her lips) a smirk on her features as she saw both cameras turn to her, her face appearing on the screens. Something about her yelled out brash and arrogant.

_Something else familiar…_

"_How about Agent K? Can you kill her?_" The synthetic voice began its mocking again.

Everyone seemed to turn and twist to the building she was on as she smirked slightly. _"Yes, can you kill me, Kira? Can an evil criminal like you kill a government assassin?_"

But, honestly, Artemis didn't need to see anything else. The smirk was enough, the tone of voice…everything.

"You mean to tell me…" he turned to Karin, seeing her distraught and aggravated.

"Yes! Eve, K! They're both the same! The facial structures, the mannerisms! I can't believe I didn't see it before! We've been working with Agent K—one of the most despicable government assassins, someone who worked with L and played a part in killing my brother—for the past few years!"

-

"I can't believe we ended up back in Japan…" K muttered petulantly, leaning on the wall beside a window and pulling the curtain back with one finger. She turned to Matt, "He said he was coming straight over here right?"

"Yeah," Matt mumbled, pressing a few buttons on his video game. "Right after he confronted Near about something…"

K sighed, looking back out at the town.

_This place, Japan, doesn't feel the same as the last time I came._

_Maybe it's the fact that Light in _waaay_ over in the US of A while you are here? Less evil,_ Kat suggested lamely, still ticked with the older persona.

_Or the fact that L—_ Kew began.

_Shut up. L just wants to hold us down and control us. You can't control us, it's impossible._

The tension between the personas was almost tangible. _Your sense of reasoning fails to make sense to me. The only feasible reason he might have possibly had for restraining us and preventing us from leaving was for our own well being. Not to mention the children were sleeping a few rooms away, have you not tried to think about that?_

…_Just shut up Kew. No one asked you anything…!_

But then she got a text message on her phone…

She winced at the loud _Ding!_ sound it made before flipping it open and checking the message. _Suture. 911. Experiment. Z._

Her eyebrows went flying up, _Is this some sort of…prank?!_

She quickly checked who it was from and scowled when she read the kanji. _"L._"

_It can't possibly be a prank, no one is authorized to use it has their ID, save for Light, and even then, Light has no idea of your past, save for that we were at the Wammy's house for a few years. _

_So it has to be authentic…eh? _

It took her a while, but her mind eventually grasped what the text message meant. And when she did, she nearly crushed the tiny phone.

-

"Hey, guys?" Matsuda called, turning to the rest of the task force.

"What is it now, Matsuda?" Ide asked in a tone that clearly said he was tired of the rookie's questions.

"Don't you find it…I don't know…weird…? Without L or K here, I mean. It's always felt so off doing the investigation without them…" he put his chin in his hand. "Not only that, but don't you find it strange that K disappeared with Watari and L's dead bodies?"

_Matsuda, you idiot, where are you going with all this?_ Aizawa thought, keeping a façade of aggravation on the outside. Not that he really needed the façade when it came to Matsuda.

"Now that you mention it…it _is _a bit peculiar," Ide muttered.

"Yeah, but you have to remember; K, L, Watari—they all lived in secrecy. It fits that she'd want to leave with them," Aizawa pointed out. In truth, he wanted nothing to do with the conversation. But it would seem odd if he didn't say anything, and suspicion might switch over to him. At least, he assumed as much.

"But how would she be able to take them _both_ away? She was a small woman, barely older than Misa-Misa, even if she was _the_ famous K."

_Dammit, why does Matsuda have to pick today to be analytical?_

"You're right, even if she went and committed suicide because of the notebook, it would have been pretty hard for her to pick them both up and then off herself," Ide agreed.

"Does it honestly matter?" Aizawa asked. "She's no longer here. It's no use crying over spilled milk. We have to focus on capturing Kira."

On the other side of the door, holding a tea cup, was Light, an evil smirk accompanied by a red glare in his eyes. _K. She's one of the missing variables. _

_She must have snuck away somehow…if so, it could be possible that she is collaborating with Mello or Near. No—it has to be Mello. Near seems far too subdued to be working with her, considering her hard-headedness and violent tendencies. _

_So that would mean that she had to have been working with the Mafia at some point. _

_But why would she take L and Watari's bodies away? That part still doesn't make sense. They were dead, Rem put their names in the Death Note…_

_However—didn't K survive her name being put in the Death Note? Misa told me how she had written her name, but I saw her walking around without so much as a limp a few days later!!! _

_Something just isn't matching up._

-

_You're going to run off?! Again?! _Kew screeched.

_Yes, now pipe down! As soon as I see Mello is fine, I'm off! _K answered, reaching up to tug at her hair out of habit.

_You don't get it do you?! Running off isn't how things are done! You've told us countless times, plan it out! Don't run in with your eyes closed! Don't be _imbeciles_! _

_I know! Which is precisely why I need you to be quiet so that I can figure out how to get more information without contacting L!_

_You're going to _have_ to contact him sometime…_ Kat noted somberly. _If you don't, _I_ will. He knows how you can get. And he'll believe us, no doubt whatsoever. _

_He's just a human! _K tried arguing back. _How much help can a _human_ provide?!_

_You cannot deny that you love him just as much as the rest of us, _Kew scolded. _You _were_, after all, the one who practically dragged him to the bedroom after tucking the kids in. _

K bit her lip. She couldn't deny that.

She stewed in the silence…_I'm still not calling him. I'll get whatever information I need directly from Suture or Beyond._


	8. The Airplane Trip From Hell

Chapter 7

Edited by **Kugnae**-san

**En route to China **

Kat examined the greenish blue veins in her wrist, trying to calm herself into a more lucid state of mind.

Another headache.

It had been one of the worse ones that she had had all month. The throbbing pain had spread down to her neck and made her think that her eyes were going to pop out. She had to steel herself not to bite her tongue and had to just settle for gritting her teeth when she felt the almost ghostly trickle of blood on her chin and leaving little dark spots on her parka.

So she was left trying to stay coherent and get back on the little train of thought she had, the other personas were quiet and licking their wounds.

She leaned her forehead against the cold glass of the jet, closing her eyes for just a moment.

The trip from Japan to China wouldn't be long. But it _would_ be hellishly infinite if she had another one of those headaches.

Karin and Artemis hadn't answered her phones, not the emergency line, not the urgent email—nothing. It was as if they were deliberately ignoring her or doing something that she would rather not think about.

She brushed that to the side. She could let K scream, have a fit and chuck things at them later. She'd just deal with the problem(s) at hand.

Like coming up with a practical plan.

She had a dozen scenarios dancing around in her head, all of them with some type of flaw that caused her to move on to the next one.

And this is why she worked along side L. K had too much pride to admit it, but all of them were relatively idiots when it came to coming up with any type of plan. That is, a plan that was meant to be clean but would end up with their body either riddled with holes or some other type of scar on their skin.

L, however, was calculating and could come up with a plan, have them execute it, with little damage whatsoever. Near could do that as well.

However, Mello and her self lacked that quality.

Matt never liked to participate in the physical or planning aspects so he just tinkered with his computers and wires, helping them in that way.

Beyond didn't possess the self control to do something without a bloody outcome.

Her children had been tested and examined as well.

Selena outright refused to do anything that required her mind unless it was to attempt to impress her brothers or parents. Which meant she was likely to end up being reckless.

Ryuuhei was somewhat in the middle, leaning more towards the reckless side.

And Toshio was more like his father…in some ways. However, he preferred to stay in the side lines, following his older siblings.

She shook her head, why was she pondering her faults and other random things?

Kat took a deep breath, then let it all out through her nose, her ears giving the slightest twitches.

_Experiment Z. It could only mean that they have brought in the geneticists in again. But they couldn't have found the right specimens for creating a hybrid in the short time that I have been gone. _

_So that means that this Experiment Z had to have already been created and then captured. _

_Behind Suture's and Beyond's back if they have only discovered this now. _

_So we have to assume that they have the means of apprehending our kind and confining us, _K added darkly.

_Yes, it seems they do, but haven't they always?_ Kew intervened. _Sedatives are available to anyone with a license and papers, not to mention to anyone with money in the underworld. Plus, the rooms have been stocked ever since we set them to be our personal "doctors." _

_And since L wanted to up the security on the facility, they'll know I'm there as soon as I step foot in there, that is, if I try to get in without anyone taking notice. _

_That's it! All I have to do is waltz in, no one will think anything different of it, but I need some viable excuse for barging in since they know full-well that I have been working on a long-term case with some important detective. _How_ they figured that out is still beyond my scope of knowledge, though. _

-

_**San Francisco, California**_

Karin gave Artemis a black look as he continued rambling on about how "K—Eve—whoever the heel she is, will have our heads on a platter when we get back! She can toss our fannies into jail with a snap of her fingers! Ah, shit shit shit _shit_, we're in over our heads, we should've pretended as if nothing happened—" and a bunch of bull that went along the same lines but in different words, having run his hands through his hair far too many times for it to be "tastefully" messy anymore.

And he had been one-sidedly arguing her all the way from LA to San Francisco, all five hours of speeding through highways and bobbing her head slightly to the music playing from her well concealed ear buds. They were old fashioned, but they served their purpose…at least until he gave her an ear full for ignoring him for four hours straight.

"Calm down, Arty," she said bitingly. "Or were you planning on digging to China with all the pacing you've been doing?"

Artemis turned on her, his eyes flashing. "You're the one that got us into this—this—this horrible mess that's gonna end up with us in the god damn slammer!"

Karin took a swallow from her beer before tossing a bottle at him, "Loosen up. She doesn't know where the hell we are—she probably couldn't care less if we crawled into some ditch and died."

Artemis caught the beer with deft hands and set it down on a table, "You don't get it do you?!" he hissed through gritted teeth, stalking over to her and grabbing her shoulders roughly. "You're new in the business so you wouldn't have heard what she's done through the years, right?"

Karin shrugged, she was aware that her "boss" was feared among a lot of people, but just scarcely old enough to even drink alcohol, she was very out-of-the-loop about a good amount of things.

Artemis gave a groan of frustration and slapped his forehead, "Augh, why did I listen to you when you aren't even aware of what type of consequences your actions might have?"

"Because I have a 'tendency of lassoing people in whether they want to or not,' as Matt once said. However, you have to admit, you must've not been thinking either 'cause you hightailed it out of there just as fast as I did," she snapped, reaching for her packet of Winstons, then snatching her hand back when she saw the trembling of her hands. Her eyes darted up and locked onto Artemis's.

"You have to know something about her for you to be _trembling_ about this, Karin," he said after a moment of settling his temper.

She muttered a few choice words before downing the rest of her Corona, her nails biting into the palms of her hands.

"What _do_ you know?" Artemis asked, switching tactics.

"Non ya," was her childish reply.

"Non ya?"

"Non ya business, Artemis!" she said caustically, standing up—slapping off his hands— and practically ripping off her jacket just so that she could have some sort of excuse to _not_ be so damn still.

"Oh, that's mature," he muttered under his breath. "Contrary to what you believe, you dragged me along, so you should damn well know that it _is_ my business."

Karin punched the wall, almost instantly regretting it when pain raced up her hand, "My personal issues are none of you fucking business, _so back the hell off Artemis!_" her voice broke on the last trio of words and she slid to the ground.

"You're—you're crying…" he said startled, walking tentatively to her side. _I've never seen her cry…Hell, what am I supposed to do? I haven't comforted a woman since I was in High School. _

He forced his grimace down and pulled her to him, fully aware that she was going to most likely either punch him as she had the wall or his favorite—she would let loose that little spring loaded dagger she had on her wrist.

She clung to him, almost instinctively, "Stupid…sonuva bitch just had to…go and get him self killed…" she sobbed.

Artemis stiffly rubbed her back, _Geez, even sobbing and she's cursing like a trucker. A drunk trucker, albeit. _

"Who got killed?" he felt only a small twang of guilt of taking advantage of a crying woman and wheedling information out of her.

"L-lind L. Tailor," she took a shuddering breath, "my brother."

Artemis took a hissing breath. _Okay, so this goes beyond K kicking our asses. This is turning into Karin's personal issues and vendettas. Great, what a wonderful pile of deer shit I've landed myself in. _

-

**Somewhere in China**

Suture was caught staring into Beyond eyes, already panicking.

"Is there any particular reason you have been avoiding me, Suture?" he asked, cocking his head to one side; his jar of jam in one hand.

Even with dread washing down her spine like a bucket of ice water, she still foolishly imagined more than just apathy in Beyond's eyes. _Darn it, I shouldn't be acting like a school girl when he looks at me. He just wants facts, like he always has._

She stayed silent and merely stared back at him, hoping that it was half as intimidating as his.

But two seconds afterwards told her that that was the wrong move.

"I see," he murmured, glancing above her head before placing his jar of jam on the floor with the utmost care, as if it were a valuable porcelain antique.

The curly haired girl's heart raced, what was he planning? He had looked at her lifespan, so something must be wrong with it.

Her eyes widened as Beyond placed both of his hands on either side of her head, staring her straight in the eye, a few hairs obstructing her view.

She had to steel herself not to brush them away.

"Tell me, Suture," he began. "Why your life span has taken a sudden dip by approximately forty-five years since the last time I saw you?"

She kept her lips firmly shut, trying to ignore what him being so close to her was doing, and making darn sure that she didn't begin hyperventilating like that one time when she was in seventh grade with Marco Williams catching her in the hall.

Instead she examined the red glint in his eyes, a russet type of gleam, she catalogued everything she could about him—when else was she going to be this close to him?

"Answer me," he said, an unidentifiable emotion flickering in his voice. Or maybe she was imagining it again.

"Death is inevitable and a part of human life. If I made one single decision that meant mine's comes sooner, then that's the—" she halted as soon as she saw the wicked smile coming to his mouth and how his eyes seemed to become darker, the red more evident.

BB laughed without humor, "Yes, death is inevitable. But idiocy is another thing altogether. The only time someone's life span takes such a dip is because of a Death Note or, as I stated before, the idiocy of a particular decision the human as taken."

Suture gulped audibly.

"Now, what was that decision you made that means you will die fairly soon, Deliverance?" he whispered

-


	9. Get Rid of Guilt with Manipulation

Obvious Vexation

Chapter 8

Edited by Kugnae-san

"_The plane just landed,"_ Suture said, reporting everything she saw to him. _"He's going outside to escort her in."_

L bit his thumb—Beyond was escorting Kat (Or K or whoever was in control of the body) into the Chinese Facility. Beyond, of course, who was one of the most mentally unstable persons he had come to know.

But at least she wasn't going to throw herself head first into the Kira business anymore. Even if Kira couldn't _kill her_, per se, Kira _could_ just grab the nearest automatic weapon and shoot her like the rest of the fiends she liked to catch and associate with.

However, he _was_ practically shoving her into her past….

But she had back up there, plenty enough hidden weapons to cause a political and military uproar with the Chinese government…not to mention more than a couple treason counts on there heads. And whether she liked it or not, whether she was still feeling the remnants of her tantrum from a couple days ago, he _would_ be helping seeing as Near only contacted him every once in a while, Mello wanted to do everything himself and Aizawa only contacts _Kat_. And being the prideful being that she was, she was not likely to contact any of them.

"Is she visibly injured?" L asked.

"_No. Not that I can see. She looks a bit like she hasn't had decent night's sleep, but she otherwise unscratched."_

L visibly relaxed, _Good. That means that it worked. She neither injured herself while in her furious state, or while she was frantic with worry for Mello. _

"Good. Please use the Line 5 next time you call," he told her.

"_Understood."_

L snapped the phone shut, reaching for his tea.

_This certainly brings back memories…_

-

"_Have you thought this through?" L asked patiently, keeping his gaze on the computer placed in front of him. But he could feel her questioning stare burning a hole in his neck. _

"_Of course I have. I need an stimulating mission, some sort of mission so that my abilities do not go to waste," she said simply, the heels of her boots clicking against the tile as she went to no doubt fetch her more subtle weapons. _

_She had ordered Watari to find her the most—as she phrased it—exciting mission. All because there had been a lag in thing that peaked her interest within INTERPOL and the Underworld was in a state of relative peace. _

_So she went and did something reckless. Again. _

_A one woman mission into Nicaragua…Body guarding a Nicaraguan Aristocrat turned US snitch, which would cause a complete government conspiracy if the Nicaraguans were to figure it out. And not to mention she will have to lay down some serious threats to make sure he doesn't snitch to anyone about how she looked…_

"_You will need back up," he stated. She would have turned down everything he said if he "suggested" it. Prideful as she was. _

_She hesitated, "I will call you if I need anything. Does that suffice?" _

No. It certainly does not. _"Yes. Of course. Best of luck," he said, lifting up some files pertaining to the case he was working on. _

"_Right then, I will see you in a few days."_

_-_

_K flexed her hands, her claws itching to be out—but perhaps that was just the insuppressible feline in her. _

_Her charge, Alejandro Hernandez, was very burly and something to be afraid of—that is, if she was completely human and did not possess weapons akin to knives on her fingers. He had tan skin, and dark hair but she was not being paid to analyze the human male's physical features. No, of course not, she only needed to know the basics about this man should somehow get out of her grasp and she would have to trek all over Central America to find him. _

_Which, fortunately, had happened only once on a mission; unfortunately, for her charge, she had given her a severe verbal beating and was more than content to hand her off to her parents in a less than stable state of mind. _

_K's eyes landed on the Land Cruiser, nothing special there, then she scanned the "personal chauffeur." _Nothing too hard to deal with there, should he double cross us.

"_I can't believe it…_una mujer,_ they sent a woman to _protect_ me!" Hernandez muttered under his breath, rubbing his hands together. _Nervous habit?

_Her hands twitched, but she pulled her sweatshirt around her. _Yes, and you are not even aware of _whom_ you are talking about, _she thought bitterly. _

_She was hyped up about going this mission…until she got the details and they had demanded to actually see her. She showed up, but so heavily disguised that it was difficult to determine whether or not she was a borderline-short man or a slightly tall woman. And lowering her voice a few notches to add to the enigma was nothing. The whole thing amused her…Or rather, amused her morbid side. _

_Well, they gave her file, explained that she was going to "body guard" and "protect" the Nicaraguan snitch at all costs, even if it meant her life (to which she resisted a rather unattractive snort, they _really_ were forgetting just whom they were talking to). And she was soon shipped off to the small country that bordered with Costa Rica and Honduras. _

_And she _did_ mean shipped off. They gave her a ticket before she could even mutter about having her own _damn_ transportation, and had her running from Washington D.C. to Central America. _

_With a scowl on her face, of course. _Why did I accept this mission again? Why must I always choose the high risk, "suicide" missions that end up being utterly boring?

_So she was stuck sitting next to Hernandez while he cursed her "name" (K. Rodriguez, which she had Watari pick.) in many different colorful ways. _

_Did he _not_ nave any common sense? She could just hand his ass over to all of the high standing drug lords he _loved _to snitch on and watch them blast him to pieces, watch the blood splatter the walls like abstract art, his eyes glaze over in death, perhaps see organs pouring out of a mangled corpse from a 66mm LAW…._

_K shook her head,_ No. Mustn't let the charge die, no matter how obscenely annoying and asinine he is. It will not be a good situation for _anyone_.

-

Of course, that little quip was what K had told him, word by word, of what had happened…when she was lucid and the tranquilizers and sedatives in her body had worn off.

It had ended badly. And was possibly one of the missions that he felt most _guilt_ for.

She had attempted to call. She had she "_Attempted to reach you when I got a…sort of unsettling tingling in my chest…but you did not pick up the phone. None of the three times. So I gave up, went to the air plane and well…pushed the snitch into the plane when they opened fire."_

L winced.

-

_The hairs on the back of K's neck stood on end and she could feel every bit of her animal instinct telling her to get out of the immediate area. So naturally, she practically kicked Hernandez into the plane when she heard the distinct sound of a gun shot._

_And something wet trickling down her leg. _

_She barely had time to look down and be shocked from the exit hole before more loud reports sounded behind her. _

_Her thought process shot down as adrenaline pumped through her, everything became a gray blur, just her and her prey existing. K dashed away from the plane, hoping to confuse the attackers before they attempted to shoot at it with something that could actually pierce the metal of one of the jets she had arranged. _

_She sprinted into the thicket of the forest, in the direction of her attackers, tearing of her gloves and taking out her own weapon. _

_It was a small gun, plain and simple, and one of Watari's own inventions of course. _

_She quickly dodged out of the way of a bullet, years of torturous testing from the facility coming to help her. Her eyes searched through all of the greens, quickly discerning the decidedly human silhouette in the distance._

_She twisted around, lashing her claws out at the one behind her, who had had his gun poised to knock her out, and ripping his face. Which she followed with a quick roundhouse kick and then ended it with a clean shot to the head. _They can't see me.

_K looked back and saw the figure she had spotted still routed to the same spot. _

_And she barely got to register the fact that he had dropped something onto the ground when she shot at him._

_She barely registered the ball of fire that quickly engulfed the area and swallowed the man in flames. _

_The explosion deafened her, caused her to come to her knees, numb to the world as shrapnel tore her to ribbons much in the same way she had done to the first assailant. _

-

Critical. Her condition had been critical. And she had been lucky that both Watari and himself had actually flown all the way to the landing site prior so that they could _personally_ pick her up.

She barely had the energy to get back on the hidden airstrip, let alone what she would have needed to actually activate the planes autopilot or call for help. Help that would have discovered her little condition. Help that would have most likely been willing to sell her corpse to the highest bidder. Help that he would have had incarcerated the moment the knowledge became known to him.

Bullet to the thigh, broken arm, mangled angle, burns, all types of nightmarish things. Hellish things that would have caused any other nineteen year old girl come to tears, become institutionalized from trauma…

But only caused a sort of childish grudge in her.; the only thing she could say for weeks was, "I abhor this contraption. And take the stupid casts off of me!" mixed in with the usual, balking shriek of, "I am not an _invalid! _I can very well do things on my own!"

And Lawliet endured it. At the time he believed that the feline girl was only a tad bit irked (which had been a major understatement on his part) at being confined. He had absolutely no idea it had been her darker, more sadistic persona who had taken over from all her frustration.

However, the fact that she had even attempted to call, to even try and sort out her instinct to leave with him, soothed him and also caused a very painful guilt.

He had not answered.

The case he was working on was capturing all his attention; he had thrown himself into his "hobby" headfirst, like always. And he did not need the lines to be open. He expected her to have called his cellular phone if anything.

So it was only natural for him to lure her away from the Kira investigation. Less danger for her, especially since Mello had the tendency to be even more impulsive and reckless than she ever would be.

Was she likely to throw a fit if she ever discovered how he tended to manipulate her out of dangerous and stupid situations? That was an absolute fact.

Nevertheless she had manipulated him on many occasions, now that he reflected on it.

Lawliet placed his thumb on his lips, owlish gray eyes staring at the computer. _But that is something that makes our…relationship interesting. The fact that she is, for the most part, unpredictable. The fact that there is something new to be revealed everyday…_

And the fact that they were both manipulative, at least, when they were dead set on some particular goal and would not budge till the other submitted.

L turned when he heard the footsteps, giving Mr. Wammy a strained smile.

"Hello, Lawliet. Is she all right?"

"She has arrived at the facility and shall investigate with both Beyond and Suture about this Experiment Z, if that is what you are asking, Mr. Wammy," he said, biting his thumb. "Is that strawberry shortcake?"

Mr. Wammy gave a kind smile, "Miss Anabelle made it, along with some cookies for the little ones."

L's lips twitched down the slightest bits, mid reach toward the plate, "Didn't they just have breakfast?"

The older man chuckled, "Yes, and I expect they shall be running amok through the house. Though Miss Anabelle does have good intentions. They have been utterly downtrodden, Lawliet."

Lawliet took the plate and began eating his shortcake, "Yes, perhaps that is a good thing, then…"

**A/N: 66mm LAW: 66 milimeter Light Anti-Tank Weapon. Laymen's terms—a grenade launcher. Replaced the bazooka.**


	10. Chastised

Chapter 9

Kiyomi Takada.

She had been at Tokyo University (To-Oh) with L and K and Light. The woman had "dated" Light Yagami, but then they lost contact after both Amane and Light were put into isolation. So why would Light, if he was Kira, have picked him?

Aizawa kept his gaze fixed on Light as he typed speedily on his keyboard. The computer's sharp electronic glare casting eerie shadows on the Kira suspect as he searched every available database.

Which caused another thought to rise to the front of Aizawa's mind.

Aizawa was all too aware of the orders given to him by K herself. _Give him any information you have come up with. Should he ask for it, that is. But then again, why would he suspect my being among the living? _The command had been promptly followed by a proud quip about being so good at being inconspicuous, no matter how annoying being ignored was to her.

And he had reason to believe, that amidst all the chaos of Takada voicing Kira's views, and Mello still on the loose and Near somewhere plotting something….well, he had reason to believe that Light was on the verge of renewing a war he had started long ago with the aloof dark haired woman named K.

Which was why he was a tad bit hesitant to answer him when he started asking more about the girl known as Kew Keikan… And by default, learning more about his previous advisaries.

The older man had reason to believe Light was on the verge of discovering something that he was entrusted to know. Something akin to a promise that he dared not break.

But would that stop such a man, one whom had tied in a battle of wits between the century's most intelligent and resourceful mind?

Then again, _Kira_ wasn't just battling against a genius and one of the most ruthless people he had met. No, he was battling both them, their successors and anyone else they cared to involve.

"_And does Yagami Light know we shall corner him and punish him like the disobedient, megalomaniac, immoral boy he is? No. Of course not. We're just going to serve his head on a platter to the ICPO and show that we are certainly _not_ dead or untrustworthy,"_ she had once rambled while explaining one of her more superfluous plans.

-

K ran a hand through her hair as she sat in the company of Beyond and Suture.

"So," she said, sighing and stirring her tea with listless eyes. "That boy has been stuck in there, being exposed to something akin to my childhood—if you could call it that—for a good few weeks? And this is the first it's come to my knowledge?"

Suture flinched a bit as both emerald eyes and gray ones landed on her before flickering away to look at each other.

"That seems to be the case," Beyond mused, picking at his own sugar laden tea. "She was under the impression that we would have charged in there and killed everyone in our sights to rescue him."

K gave a humorless chuckle, absently toying with the bell around her neck. "You must admit though, given our more callousnatures, it would not have been the most unlikely probability. I confess, I _would have_ charged in there to kill the first thing in sights had this come up. That is, before I was informed of the circumstances with Mello and whatnot."

Beyond spared her a wicked grin, "True. So what's stopping us from dismantling those scientist, limb from limb now that we _are_ aware of the situation?"

K let a similar grin grace her features before gesturing towards Suture, who had horror written all over her face. "Well, for one, this particular girl you have taken to would probably throw herself into the fray before letting us have a bloodbath."

Suture balked, did K really think so lowly of her? And then referring to Beyond and her like that!

"Yes, that _would_ be an unfavorable predicament," Beyond said, stretching his legs in front of him.

And then Suture blushed to the color that would put a tomato to shame when he openly admitted being "taken to" her.

"And the fact that I know little to nothing about this, want to know why the hell Suture's lifespan took a dip and why the _fuck_ you insist on being so damn meek when I know full well that you aren't the stuttering little fool of a girl I met in Tokyo!" she spat, irked.

"I'm not a child so quit treating me like your scolding Ryuuhei and Selena!"

K smirked, "Really? Well then act like it. Now talk to me about the situation. It makes me antsy to know that with every fucking moment of pleasantries the kid in there could be killed for being a failed project." _Like they were going to do to us, _Kew added bitterly.

"Well, all I know is what Suture as told me. And I had to force it out of her," Beyond muttered, leaning back in his chair and aiming his wide eyes at Suture.

"All right then," Kat stated, also turning to the curly haired girl. "Spit it out Suture. What was your master plan?"

Suture shifted a bit, uncomfortable. "Well, I was going to have contact you secretly and get the boy out of here."

"Now, now," he said in a scolding manner. "Tell K what you told me."

"Alright," she whispered. "I was going to ask you to get yourself captured and thrown in with him, and then Beyond would break you both out…"

Kat analyzed her, "You are not telling us something. Perhaps the reason why your lifespan as taken a dip is the reason that you wish to keep this vital information to yourself? Or is it simply another one of those foolish human things that I cannot even begin to fathom?"

Suture licked her lips before turning her head to examine the carpet in an almost religious manner. "I was going to stand in for you, K. When you left."

A sudden crash of porcelain on both sides of the room caused Suture to look up in alarm.

"You can't do that." Beyond said, deathly calm and his palm scarlet.

"I can, and I _will_," Suture said, a shred of the defiance she had gained over the years surfacing.

"I refuse to let you," the calm was still in place as he made his way to her small frame in two strides, towering over her.

"Beyond, now calm down," K said, picking some shards of glass away from her arm. _This is the umpteenth time this happens during the course of the Kira case. Hmm, I wonder why?_

"No," he said, narrowing his eyes at K. "_You_ may have no care in the world for your _backups_ and _copies_, however, I do. No matter how compassionless and oblivious to our vexation with you people! The reason for A's death! The reason why the woman who _saved you_ from this hellhole _died _while at your service! The way I was manipulated and lost nearly every shred of sanity I have to my name in the name of winning against L! How it is a known fact that every one of your peers from the Wammy's house that had the displeasure of meeting you has an obvious _hatred _for the both of you once they noticed what manipulating _bastards_ you both are!"

Kew regarded him patiently, Kitten was wailing inside them at how fierce and scary Beyond seemed at that moment of his loss of composure. K was seething and Kat was trying to calm Kitten down.

"All done?" she asked, looking at a piece of porcelain she had picked from her glove and flicking it away.

Suture quickly stepped in front of Beyond as soon as she saw him coil to spring at her.

"In any event, what I was about to say was that the plan is a good one. But why risk your life when there are other plans less likely to cause the one _untainted_ soul in this room bodily harm?"

Beyond's breathing went down to a more controlled rhythm as he looked at Kat, contempt in his eyes. "And what would this brilliant plan of yours be?"

Kat smiled, "Simple. I believe the street term would be to go in with 'guns blazing.'"

"No!" Suture shrieked. "That's precisely the reason why I didn't do it myself and why I didn't want Beyond involved!"

"And who said we were going to get blood on your hands, Deliverance?" Beyond asked slowly, cocking a brow.

She looked at them, horrified. "The whole point of this was to try and _save_ Experiment Z! Not kill him with a stray bullet!"

Kat frowned, "You think so little of us, don't you? Well then, what other option is there that won't endanger you all?"

"L, of course," Suture said. Motioning to the monitor of a computer in the back of the room.

And lo and behold, the customary Cloister Black "L" was on the screen.

"_Hello, K, Beyond,"_ the electronic voice said coolly.

And then it was K's turn to be uncomfortable.

"Greetings…L," she muttered, casting her eyes off to the ceiling.

_Now who is going to feel like a chastised child? By her own mate!_ K thought bitterly.

-

Kai looked up in alarm as the door opened, getting himself mentally ready for whatever may come his way.

A woman crawled into the room on all fours. That much he could tell in his drugged up state.

He barely registered the woman as she took a small surprised mew before nudging him delicately.

_What's that thing on her face? _Kai wondered blandly.

_A gas mask, she's putting one on _our_ face now,_ his other said.

He started protesting a bit when the woman made to pick him up but she ignored him completely and picked him up.

_We're being saved? _Kai thought, trying to banish the blurriness of his vision.

"Breathe," the woman commanded in a soft voice. Like a mother to a child, he could assume, but she just seemed like the type who was naturally quiet. But he put off his sudden analysis to fending for himself all those years.

The woman padded out and he became vaguely aware of the screams and gagging of scientists hitting the floor.

_Serves them right. Stupid sons of bitches, _his other thought.

_I'm not gonna argue that one…_

He blinked quite a bit when he saw so much green around him, and when he was promptly laid down on something like a medical table. The woman backed up a few inches before looking at another woman and nodding purposefully at Kai saying, "Work your magic, Suture."

-

The next time he woke, he saw the two women, with the addition of a guy hunched over a big jar of jam that looked eerily like blood.

He pushed himself up, rubbing his hand over his mouth to get rid of any drool tracks.

"You all right, kiddo?"

He looked up with the unnatural reflexes science had cursed upon him.

"I guess so…who are you?" he said, eyeing her with suspicion.

The woman smirked a bit before making her way over to him on all fours, the same way she had rescued him. "Name I gave myself is, Kat. But those buffoons referred to me as the last of the K series."

The white haired boy froze. K series. Then that meant she was like him.

He blinked at her, letting his eyes roam her body and notice what he hadn't at first glance. The fluffy ears sitting comfortably at the top of her head—much like his—the tail that swayed behind her, the clawed hand that played with the ironic bell choker around her neck and the slits for pupils. All of which he had.

"I call myself Kai," he said, guardedly.

"Kai," the male in the corner said, looking above the boys head and furrowing his brows. "The Japanese word for 'together'? How odd…Did you pick it for any particular reason?"

The amber eyed boy scowled. "Nah. It doesn't have any special meaning to me. Just saw some book and picked a word that seemed cool. I'm not all that fond of Japan for producing this Kira dude."

A grinned came to the man's features, one that left Kai unsettled.

"My, my, this child will have no problem assimilating with us!" Kat said, turning to thee girl she had first called Suture.

"Are you sure that is an entirely good thing?" Suture asked, her blue eyes showing him every ounce of worry that she was most likely feeling. "To get such a young boy involved?"

_Stupid. Why where your heart on your sleeve? That'll get you killed, _his other thought.

"I am certainly not going to involve him," Kat said, grimacing. "I abhor the fact that Near, Mello and Matt are involved with this mess, why would I let Kai over here see any more death than he needs to?"

His ear twitched simultaneously as his eye. _I'm not a kid!_

Kat turned back to him, "Anyways, Kai, as I stated; I'm Kat, of the K series. You're obviously of the Z series since you can comprehend humans far better than I ever could and you are what? Fifteen years at most?"

"Something like fourteen actually," he muttered, running a hand through his already messy hair.

"Well, these people are my…er, not friends since they loathe me a majority of the time. So…allies? Yes, that'll do. Miss Suture healed you and Mister Beyond making a mess over there set up the autopilot since my husband is working on a case."

Kai looked at her with wide eyes. "You're married? But you can't be nineteen!"

Kat snickered. "No. I am nearly thirty years of age. Being a hybrid has its advantages," she said, hazarding a look at the silver band on her left hand.

"I still don't think you're over nineteen," he murmured, giving her a suspicious look.

Her ear twitched. "You should. I have three five years at home waiting for me, a husband who might as well be five and three other 'sons' who refuse to let me fill out the papers to make them mine legally."

"Why're you telling me this? And what did you mean I didn't need to see anymore death than I already did?"

Kat looked a bit taken aback by his sudden barrage of questions but took a seat by him nonetheless and took one of his clawed hands in her own. "Tell me, have you heard of L and K?"

"Who hasn't? Last I heard of 'em the higher ups were figuring out a way to press charges on them for not bringin' Kira to 'em on a platter already."

Her lips curled into a ghost of a smile, "Well, you're sitting next to K. My husband L concocted this whole plan and we are still working our asses off trying to get Kira's head onto that platter. But he's one slippery prick."

Kai seemed to choke on air and felt her patting his back softly as he gathered his composure. "But why are you tellin' me this?! L and K are freaking secretive! Why would they care to share this stuff with some random hybrid?"

"Because she intends to take you under her wing—or paw, I suppose—and have you live with her family," Beyond provided once he saw Kat groping around for words in a very embarrassing and out of character fashion.

"Yes, what he said," she said, a slight frustration shining through her guarded eyes. "We are kindred spirits, as the humans say. And _no one_ deserves to be treated the way we were."

-

Light's internal grin was positively malicious as he finished pulling up information on the allusive K. _Can't hide from God, K._


	11. Tears and Mocking You

**A/N: This, the next chapter and the epilogue. I'm all, in the words of TK-nee-chan, "Death Noted Out." And am forcing it a bit at this point. I nearly wrote "Tally" on multiple occasions, to prove my point.**

"Karin, I want you to go with Matt and Mello, do as they say," the feline hybrid said, twirling a lock of silver and black anxiously. "That is your punishment for not answering when I called and leaving headquarters with intentions of defection. Tell Artemis the same."

"Yes, Eve-sama," Karin muttered, and then all that Kat heard was the dial tone.

"Who was that?" Kai asked her inquisitively.

Kat gave a tired smile, "One of my…coworkers."

"Lackeys would be more appropriate," Beyond said blankly, hands on the wheel. He couldn't trust Kat at the wheel with her reckless driving, so he had volunteered to drive to L's estate in Tokyo.

"You know that is a false accusation, Beyond," Kat said blandly then turned back to Kai as he examined the flashing signs of the Shibuya prefecture flash by, asking what so-and-so sign said every once in a while.

Of course, Kat was completely anxious about actually talking to L.

Sure, he had orchestrated the whole "Gas them" fiasco in China and planned everything down to the last second based on previous missions, but that wasn't a physical meeting. He hadn't been there to analyze them, or confront her about the horrid fight they had left their relationship on. Or at least, the one K had left it on.

And the kids, oh the kids. She was about ready to rip her hair out.

She had read in many articles and parenting books about what fighting parents could do to children's minds. And she felt completely awful.

Which was why she was twirling her hair so fiercely that it caught on her claw and cut straight through.

"You all right?" Kai asked her for the umpteenth time, looking at her with concerned amber eyes.

"Yes, perfectly fine," she lied, folding her hands in her lap stiffly.

_I shouldn't be thinking about this,_ she thought, biting her lip when she saw the tale tell signs of the house. The one she had been in for Amane Misa's incarceration.

Kat watched them pass the gates, all the little security gates from the safety of her tinted window, dread starting to tear and claw at her stomach.

Then they pulled into the drive way.

She almost sighed in relief when she saw he wasn't waiting outside, but then quickly reprimanded herself for it.

He would never be outside! They never set one foot outside unless they were at Wammy's with the whole Kira situation.

"K, pull yourself together," Suture told her. "They're your family. They should forgive you for whatever you di—whatever happened, right?"

Kat caught onto the slip up. "I wouldn't know. We've never had such an …extravagant fight before."

"Well, you better make up your mind, cause we need to get out sooner or later," Kai told her, sliding out of the car after Suture and Beyond.

Kat sighed, running a hand through her hair before opening the door and hopping out reluctantly.

The house seemed larger than usual.

Or maybe that was there eyes playing tricks on her.

She licked her lips before striding to the front door, entering the pass code and making sure the door opened only as much as was necessary for the next person to walk through.

And she froze when her eyes met with gun metal gray ones.

He was standing their, slouching, black hair falling into his eyes, hands stuffed into jeans and blankly looking at her.

She stared straight back, unconsciously noting how they both seemed just as disheveled as the other. Wrinkly old clothes and all.

"Who's that?" Kai asked in English, breaking the tense silence.

"My husband," Kat said, smiling at him. "And also the one who helped orchestrate your escape, and L."

Kai blanched, running his eyes over L again. "B-but, this guy doesn't look like L! He looks like one of those video game hermits!"

Kat choked down a laugh.

_No, that's Matt, _Kew quipped, chuckling.

"And what is L supposed to look like?" Lawliet asked, but he got no answer seeing as three kittens hurled into the room in a mess of fur, colliding with Kat's feet.

Kai jumped a bit as all three tabby kittens shifted into children.

"Damn that hurt!"

"Who was standing in the way?"

"Um, Ryuuhei? Selena?" Toshio said, looking up at the tall figure of his mother, his eyes flickering between her, his father and all the other people cluttering their foyer.

Kat smiled brightly at the kids as they suddenly jumped from their places on the floor and nearly bowled her over as Toshio and Selena hugged her.

"Momma!"

"Mom!"

"You're back!" They said together, beaming up at her.

Kat ruffled their hair and and pecked them on the forehead, "You say that like I wouldn't come back," she murmured.

"'Cause we assumed you _weren't_ coming back," Ryuuhei muttered, having scrambled away from his mother and standing next to his father instead. "The way you blew up at Dad."

Kat swallowed painfully, "You heard that?"

"We inherited improved senses from _you_, remember? Or did you forget in that small time frame, _mother_?" he sneered.

Lawliet bopped him on the head, the thumb of his other hand still on his lips, "That's no way to speak to your mother, Ryuuhei. Go to your room."

Ryuuhei looked at Lawliet alarmed before his eyes turned a bit red and he stomped off.

"Brat," Kai muttered, bringing all the attention to him.

"No, he gets it from me," Kat muttered, holding her own and battling with whether or not to follow her son. She met Lawliet's eyes again, and they came to an understanding. They'd talk later.

-

After all of the introductions and explanations, Kat sneaked into Ryuuhei and Toshio's room, the latter of the two was off talking with Kai.

Her eyes scanned the room (noting with slight humor the messy state) and landed on the bed, where a lump was under the covers.

"Hmm, I wonder where Ryuuhei is," she murmured, acting as if she was searching all over and even under the desk.

She sat on the bed and leaned down to him, putting her hand on his shoulder, "Ryuu? Sweetie?"

He shrugged away from her touch, unaware of the dagger he plunged into her heart. "Go away."

"No," she said, snaking her arms around him and pulling him onto her lap, making sure his arms were in her grasp so he couldn't wriggle away. Or thrash away, judging by how he kept squirming and slamming into her to get away. "I need to talk to you."

"Why?! Just so that you can leave again?!" he said, going limp.

"I'm not leaving you again," she said, feeling a prickle in her eyes and head.

"How the heck would I know that?! You lie all the time to everyone else!"

Kat swallowed. "I lie for our safety, Ryuuhei. I promise I won't leave."

"Promises can be broken!"

Kat broke down, hot tears splashing on Ryuuhei's shirt. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I won't leave again! I promise! I won't fight with Lawliet! I won't cause you pain anymore! I promise, baby, I promise!"

Ryuuhei stiffened, his eyes were "leaking," his shoulders shaking with sobs.

He twisted around in his mother's grasp and clung to her wrinkled and stiff shirt, sobbing.

-

Mello lurched in his seat, biting his lip so hard blood gushed into his mouth.

Fire! There was fire in his chest! Or was it just pulling itself apart?

_I never got to tell Matt what a great best friend he was…_

Mello clawed at his chest, eyes bulging in the front seat of the truck.

_I never beat Near…_

Artemis and Karin were dead.

_I never got to show Ryuu and Toshio how to shoot a gun._

Shot to death because of him while Matt manned down the monitors and technological things back at the apartment.

_I didn't get Selena that chocolate…_

And the last thing Mello thought of as his heart gave one last frantic beat:

…

_I hope this will help, Nee-chan, L…_

And then Mihael Keehl, Mello, died on January 26th 2013, his head falling onto the steering wheel.

-

Kat rubbed at her eyes as she walked out of her sleeping son's room. He had cried and forgiven her the conked out.

She gave a shuddery breath, _Now I just need to sleep._

_Ugh, so much drama. What is this? Some cheesy soap opera?_ K thought.

_With our luck, it probably is,_ Kew responded.

_Kitten is sleepy. Can Kat-chan please find the bed so that Kitten can sleep?_ She whined softly.

_We're all sleepy, Kitten,_ Kat responded, stumbling into her room and shrugging off her shirt and her shoes, plopping onto the bed, a headache building in her temples and spreading. _Tonight will be hell, won't it?_

She was barely awake when the door to her bedroom opened, and someone's footsteps paused right at the foot of the bed.

"Karin, Mello and Artemis are dead," it—no, Lawliet, said after a few moments.

And that was all it took.

Kat jackknifed up, looking at him with wild eyes.

"What?!" she shrieked. "Mello?! Karin and Artemis!?"

Lawliet nodded morosely, "Karin and Artemis served as a distraction and were killed by Takada's bodyguard. Matt was watching the whole thing on TV and notified me. Mello missed a check in call, however, Lidner contacted Near informing him of Mello's death."

Lawliet's eyes softened when he saw the tears openly falling from Kat's eyes.

"Oh my, Mello…and I sent Karin and Artemis…oh my word! What the fuck?! Everything is falling apart!" she muttered pulling her legs up and wrapping her arms around her knees. Her ears flat against her head.

L tugged her to him, sitting down on the bed and setting his chin on top of her head.

They just stayed their, silently for the rest of the night in each other's arms, all past fights forgotten as the lives of three people they _knew_ (one of which like a son or brother) on their conscience.

-

"_Kat?"_ Near asked, immediately noting the tear stains on the older woman's face.

Kat gave a meek smile, "Yes? You called Near?"

"_I suppose you know that two of your subordinates and Mello are dead then_," he said blankly, curling his white hair.

_He could be Kai's brother or cousin or something…_ Kew mused blandly. "Yes, I am aware of that. He informed me of it a few hours ago."

A pause.

A very pregnant pause in which Kat took the time to let her overanalyzing mind jump ahead of her.

Already, she had theories of what had gone wrong now filtering through her mind, very vivid outcomes bursting to the front of it in Technicolor, the astounding numbers blooming and disappearing. New numbers and probabilities coming and going like a the images of a Tachistoscope.

"What's wrong?" she whispered.

"_Is L in the room with you?"_

"No, he's talking with Beyond, Suture. We put the triplets to sleep already and Kai is in one of the guest bedrooms. Why?"

A shorter pause this time. _"Yagami Light would like Agent K and her husband to attend the meeting we have arranged for the Yellow Box at Daikoku Warf on January 28__th__."_

K closed her eyes.

No.

No.

No.

Yagami Light wanted to see her? How did he know that she had a husband? She had cleaned up her tracks fairly well, but then again she had told Aizawa to give any information Yagami Light desired away. Anything that Aizawa had found could have ended up in Yagami Light's hands.

Save for her name.

But what would it matter if he found her name? It would not work in, any event—he would have to know her husband's surname, of which he failed to do so in previous meetings with them.

And if she met up with him it would inevitably mean showing him that L was not dead, that he had made a grave mistake in taking on the worlds smartest minds all at once and having the nerve to call himself God.

To her knowledge, God did not cause suffering: he hated it.

God did not punish people: he let things happen according to their decisions.

And finally, God was not some megalomaniac person running amok, murdering people at the drop of a hat according to his own personal agenda.

A cruel smile alighted K's featured.

He was making a mistake.

A _big _mistake.

Had he not learned by now not to play with fire?

And if he had gone ahead and researched the missions she had done previously (which she had absolutely no doubt that he did) then he should have at least been a tad bit weary of her.

Like any sane person was when they discovered her less than spotless records, the tarnished edges and tainted center.

So he was fairly arrogant to "ask" for her and Lawliet to be present.

How was he sure that she wouldn't pull out an M16 and gleefully fill his chest with bullets? How sure was he that she wouldn't find the nearest fire arm, make sure the magazine was loaded and end his life? Knives? Or even her bare claws?

She took a moment to calm herself, taking a deep breath, remembering that her charge was watching the emotions flit across her face openly.

"I suppose you are bringing this up because you have a fool proof plan up your sleeve and have no doubt that the war shall end there, seeing as you are revealing yourself to that scum," she said shakily, running a hand through her hair.

_Damn, I need chocolate or something._

"_That is correct. A fool proof plan. However, Yagami has decided that you and L are to be the wild cards."_

"What about Matt? He'll want to see to it that Light's killed as well—" K smirked, stopping midsentence. "On second thought, I have a nice way of riling up those idiots."

"_Nothing that will be _too_ detrimental to the plan, I hope,"_ Near said, playing with a robot.

Kat gave an impish grin, "No. It will not be _far too_ detrimental. I will just ensure that Matt will be there to see Mello avenged. Should I bring my guns?"

"_One should suffice."_

"You are positively and utterly _vapid_, have I told you that lately Near? Perhaps you should attempt at some _fun_ once in a while in stead of holing yourself up so much."

"_This coming from the nearly thirty year old woman who's definition of 'fun' is flashing her gun out and destroying the poor degenerate who was set to her hit list."_

Kat rolled her eyes, "It's completely hair raising, I'll bring you with me next time. Now, is that all?"

"_It will be at 3 o' clock, and…"_ Near paused in his hair twirling, "_My condolences." _

Kat shook her head, "Same to you Near, same to you."

-

Light Yagami started as a screen lighted up in front of him, a red "K" appearing in the middle of the black screen.

The Task Force members gasped as they heard the voice, "_Hello, Yagami Light_."

"Agent K, I assumed?" Light asked, regaining his composure rather quickly.

"_The one and only_," the feminine voice said loftily. "_Were you expecting someone else, Light_?"

"No, this is just unexpected, I finished my conversation with Near only a few hours ago," the man said, a red glint to his eye.

"_Yes, yes. My little…brother seems to be fairly good at talking with people…"_

Light's eyes visibly widened. "B-brother_?_"

"_Brother, sister it's all rather the same in an Orphanage, is it not Yagami Light? We are all raised together as family. I would have assume someone as _astute_ as you would have concluded that of his own accord," she crooned the last part mockingly. _

"Yes, Wammy's, correct?"

"_Ah, Yagami Light, you should know better than to ask questions you know the answers of. In any case, I merely contacted you to inform you that I will be bringing one other with my husband._"

"And who might that be?"

"_One of my other brother's…a successor of mine, a son…He'd like to meet the person whom he and my other successor Mello have been battling against."_

"Mello?"

"_Yes, dear creature," _she was cooing nearly of her words scathingly. _"Mello. You should know him, correct? You _did_ employ the Task Force to kill him more than once, and actually succeeded in manipulating that other creature, Takada, into killing him. You could say we have a personal vendetta against you, Kira. A deep rooted grudge. An obvious vexation."_

Light grew incensed. "I'm _not_ Kira! Mello was a dangerous character threatening the lives of many civilians and was in the Mafia!"

"_You did not have a problem with my relations to the Yakuza all those years ago. But wait, you were a suspect back then as well? Therefore you were not allowed with such delicate information. Nevertheless, I look forward to seeing you, Kira. And I am sure my successor will look forward to it as well. This war shall end yet, Kira-chan._"


	12. Shinigami Interference

"You will all be good with your caretakers, otherwise, I will be forced to deny you desert," Kat said, pulling all three into a big hug.

"We know momma," they said.

Selena smiled, "We never act up when Mr. Wammy is looking after us."

Kat bobbed her on the head lightly, "You _are not_ supposed to act up _at all_."

Behind her, L chuckled. "Of course. And _you _weren't constantly wandering away from us when we went on field trips, Kat."

She rolled her eyes, standing up, "But all the things were so _boring! _I much rather liked that one time when I tried to climb Big Ben…"

"However, we put a stop to that instantly," Mr. Wammy jumped in. "But I assure you, they shall be in good hands, especially since Beyond and Suture shall be here.

"Hey!" Kai yelled out in English, slamming his fist into his open palm. "What the heck are you guys blabbing about?"

"Oh! We have to teach Kai how to speak Japanese!" Selena said, bouncing over to him and tugging on his hand. She looked up at him with big round trusting eyes. "Don't worry! It's easy! First say; _Konnichiwa!_"

"Con-itcha-wa…" he said awkwardly, letting Selena drag her into the maze of a house.

Kat smiled faintly as her two boys followed after, shouting tips and reprimanding poor Kai.

"It's time to go, isn't it?" She asked almost sighing, turning to L.

He nodded, "Yes. Have you got your gun?"

"No," she said slowly. "I have my dagger." She _really_ didn't want to explain how she was looking forward to possibly acting out one her more violent fantasies. Ending with her knife in Kira's eye socket.

Kat brushed some of her hair back, a ghost of a smile appearing on her lips when L opened the door for her. She stuffed her hands in her pockets and gripped her keys in a death grip, the little teeth pinching her skin.

She was nervous as hell.

Near had promised that he had concrete evidence. Something that would _prove _Yagami Light as Kira, without any loopholes. And Kat was going to make sure that Kira didn't get off with some rather weak insanity plea when up in court.

However, the slightest blip of apprehensiveness just managed to get past her defenses.

Her heart was pounding, much faster than usual.

She nodded at Matt, who had been outside smoking while she had finished up with her kids, and handed him over the keys.

He pushed off the wall without a word, taking the keys.

And that was another thing. Matt had been distant ever since the death of Artemis, Karin…and Mello especially.

She had cried her eyes out, in Lawliet's arms, muttering "I'm sorry" like some morbid mantra, under the temporary delusion that Mello and her subordinates would hear her.

-

The day was still, everything almost at a complete standstill as three groups made their ways to Daikoku Wharf.

It was as if the world itself were anticipating a great battle…or a great end to a war.

Kat brought out her knife and absently mindedly ran a claw against it, feeling the adrenaline pumping in her veins, calculating outcomes as fast as she could, possible variables, fully aware that L was as well, and though Matt was silent as he smoked yet another cigarette, he was surreptitiously measuring odds just as they. Save that he had a very nice little gun clutched inside his pocket, safety off.

She supposed that the SPK and Mogi were a tad bit spooked by them upon their entrance, all but Near, however that was to be expected.

With looks as odd as theirs, they had become accustomed to it. (Or in the case of Mogi, he was surprised to see L _alive._ Point blank.)

Kat shushed the other personalities and their snickering when Near pulled on a plastic mask that resembled L, silently allowing herself to fade and letting K out.

They waited silently, never uttering a word and simply listening to the haunting melody of the Yellow Box, the dripping water somewhere far off, the _whoop…whoop_ of the fan, and even the gritty windows towards the top. K ignored the salty scent of water, instead focusing on the sound of a door opening somewhere in the building.

She shared a quick glance with her husband, green meeting gray, before steeling herself.

"Kira is here…" she sung mockingly, her lips barely moving so that only Matt and L heard her, eyes glinting with malice. "Kira is here…A possum in God's kimono. Shame shame."

Neither L nor K missed how Matt chuckled.

K stepped out of the shadows as soon as Light entered the room, leaning back on her left leg in a façade of boredom.

Aizawa's eyes skated over her before speaking, "L, those four are from the SPK…the one wearing the mask is Near…there's no mistaking it."

"It's true," Mogi confirmed. "I was with Near before he put the mask on. That's him, alright."

K clicked her tongue, bringing attention to herself. "Yes yes, we know who we are. I'm K, and I brought two people, as agreed. Now is it possible to move this along some? I am positive Kira-chan over here _knows_ that's Near."

A muscle in Light's jaw twitched before he spoke. "She's right. Aizawa. Mogi. I really couldn't care less if that was Near or not."

Matsuda balked. "Be-but..I can't accept this! You freely accuse someone of being Kira…and the sole person wearing a mask is you! How selfish can you be?!"

K was unsure of whom he was referring to, but the rookie incensed her nonetheless.

Unfortunately, before she could give him the tongue lashing he so very much _deserved_…

"Matsuda-san. Near thinks that I am Kira. So that can't be helped."

"But, he himself is the one who asked to shamelessly meet us! Something about this just doesn't seem fair."

"Life isn't fair, honey, so tough," K whispered under her breath as Light explained rather "patiently" to Matsuda about Near having his own way of thinking.

"This mask…is a precaution," Near intoned.

Matsuda said, "A precaution?"

"I feel confident that Kira…and the one now judging under Kira's instructions, X-Kira, haven't seen my face. However everyone else's faces may have already been seen. Of course, I think L is Kira…In other words, I worry because the time and date was decided three days ago. And that means that everyone here, except myself, has the possibility that they have already had their names written down, and can die at any moment.

"If that's the case, Kira and I will be the only ones left, with Kira left free to write my name in the notebook Mr. Aizawa has, and get rid of me. Althought, in accordance with my judgment…the Kira here now, shouldn't be able to kill people with only their face.

"That's why, for one hour, no—half an hour, I would like you to allow me to see if anyone here is being manipulated and dies."

"W-What the hell?! Wait to see if we don't die?!"

"Sounds fine by me," K quipped, smirking. They _still_ hadn't really paid any attention to Matt and L, standing in the background watching it all happen. Her hand curled around the handle of her knife, antsy.

But patience had never been her forte.

She and Matt glanced at each other rather impatiently, both of them having to smother the intense urge to blow of Yagami's head and leave his rank remains for the buzzards to feast on.

-

"Near, it's been well over thirty minutes and nothing has happened," Matsuda said, an odd look of anger on his face.

Well, he was wrong in that sense. K and Matt had gotten antsy while L examined all possibilities from the shadows.

"Of course that's the case. Because Kira is not here, among us."

"Alright, everyone seemed to be okay. I'll take off my mask now," Near said, pulling off the porcelain. (Had she given that one to him? Or was it custom made? She didn't recall…) "I'm sorry, please wait just a while longer."

"Wait, again!? What are we waiting for this—"

"Shut up and listen for once, Matsuda," K growled. Honestly, that boy got on her _last_ nerve.

Nevertheless, Near answered his question. "For the one who will complete out circle, to come."

"The one that will complete the circle?" Matsuda asked.

"You're parroting, Matsuda-san," L muttered, too low for him to hear.

"He'll definitely come and we are waiting for him. This building is a sealed room and only by opening the door can one see inside. For sure, he'll come through the door…or at least, try to peep in from it…"

"Who are you saying is coming?"

"Would you like to explain L, I assume that you've already deduced my plan by now," Near asked, picking up his little finger dolls, white hair flopping over his eyes yet not concealing the grin on his face.

"Wha—" Light began.

A rush of anger, "Not you, Kira. We're talking about the _real_ L, you foolish wannabe."

The little group of officers gasped, all but Aizawa.

Matt chuckled at how pale and distraught the task force looked, like a bunch of kids caught with there hands in the cookie jar.

"That would be fine, Near," L said, slowly walking out of the shadows, Matt in tow. "Supposing my assumptions are correct, no one save for those already present have been informed about this place."—he put his thumb to his lips here—"So the only logical person who would be coming is what Near calls 'X-Kira.' Thus, the only way X-Kira would have come to know about it would be if he was told by Kira himself. Am I correct, Near?"

"Yes…" Near confirmed. "Mr. Aizawa…You always kept an eye on L, who for now will be referred to as Light, even after Takada's death, right?"

"Yes."

"In that case, there's no doubt that he'll come. Kira was using Takada to contact X-Kira…On the night the time and place for here were settled, Light and Takada met. Through her, L might have told X-Kira the date then—no. He _did_ tell it then.

"However, neither I nor Light were aware of Mello kidnapping Takada."—_I love how he doesn't mention that the only person in this room who were aware of it is Matt…at least it throws speculation off of us._—"With Takada's death, Light lost his means to contact X-Kira. He could no longer send an 'abort coming' message. In fact, there would be no point to such a message for each of our respective scenarios to play out, he couldn't afford changes."

Matt examined Light's face, spotting the grin on his face. "He's…sure of himself," he concluded, murmuring out of the corner of his mouth to K and L.

K and L gave the barest of nods. Light Yagami had always been full of himself, at least, during the investigation. His hubris had amazed them, at most points even far surpassing that of Beyond Birthday's methods during the LABB murder cases.

"How can you possibly be sure Light is Kira?!"

_Are you kidding me?_ Matt thought, lighting a cigarette and taking a drag. _A) You can _feel_ the evil rolling off him in waves. B) the case hasn't gotten _anywhere_ and yet, this guys supposed to be on par with L. C) Judging by you're lack of professionalism and how you keep blurting things out, you are obviously biased in this investigation and should take a hike. Preferably off a cliff._

"That's right! In fact, if indeed a third party's coming here…Near, it's not unreasonable to assume that person's with you or K!"

_Damn it, now I know why sis wanted to claw her hair out while around these people….and why she nearly flattened us that one time with her driving…these people would make Mother Teresa turn into an Ax Murderer. _

"He's not. He's the one who's currently carrying out judgments for Kira. Isn't it obvious Kira would instruct him to come?"

"Wait a minute! If it's the person who performs Kira's judgments, does that mean he will bring the notebook with him?" Matsuda asked, jaw dropping.

"That's right. He will bring it with him for sure. He will see my face and write down my name."

"So you actually mean to prove Kira sent this guy, by dying…?!"

_Of course now, _Kat said. _That'd be plain foolish. Especially since he knows I'd figure out away to revive him and kill him again if he picks such a suicidal plan._

"No. To be precise, I'll prove it by letting him attempt to kill me."

"Wait, Near!" Aizawa said. Matt and K looked at him, while L pulled a lollipop from his pocket, paying close attention to how he removed the wrapper with only his index and thumb.

"What is it?" Near asked, his finger puppets in front of him.

"If this X-Kira kills you, it's obvious he'll kill every one of us here, as we all know about the notebook."

"That's right," Matt said once Near looked at him, taking a nice slow drag than breathing out the smoke so it curled around his nostrils like a dragon. "That'd mean Kira would come out on top, killing off every letter and person against him in this room, basically ensuring his 'win.'"

"Not to mention it's the very reason we all agreed to come," Near concluded.

"I don't understand…" Matsuda's face contorted to one of extreme panic. "Exactly what is he saying? That this third person will come with the notebook to kill us?"

"And we'll just sit back and watch?!"

Silence for a moment in which the three some that were previously in the shadows pondered on the intelligence of the task force, K more so than the rest. _Could_ she believe that they were such ignoramuses? Possibly, but to such an extent?

Who even gave them there licenses?

"Yes."

"You must be joking! That's probably what Kira wants…whatever happens, this will be our defeat!"

"No, it won't," Near said just as simply as before. "It will be our victory. If you do as I tell you, we will win for sure."

-

After Near warned them of Mikami most likely appearing at the door and not to act rashly when he began writing down names…

Well, it was a tad bit unsettling, to say the least, when Mikami came and opened the door a sliver and scribbled into his death note.

Matt, L and K had no doubt in their mind that Mail Jeevas, L Lawliet and Kew Keikan were being written into the notebook. Matt's for the first time, L's for the second and K's for the third.

He began counting down and Light said something that quite literally qualified as a confession, "Victory is mine, K, L, M, N."

_O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y and Z. Now I know my ABCs…_Kitten sang softly, provoking a snigger out of Kat and Kew.

All the while, the tension built and when Mikami finally reached forty seconds…

"Nothing happened," K leered, less than a moment later being echoed by Ide and Matsuda.

Near explained very nonchalantly what had happened, instructing the SPK members to detain Mikami once he began apologizing profusely to his "God," Light.

But then…

Something no one expected happened.

Instead of observing the calm and composed Yagami Light, the one all three of them were used to see over the course of their careers…

Light lost it and began yelling some outlandish theory about everything being a trap.

"Near said he modified it, didn't he?" L muttered, portraying an outer appearance of complete aloofness.

Just as Aizawa took out his handcuffs, Light slapped them away and made to run for it.

It's easy to say that Matt and K hauled ass when Light began his rather sloppy escape, their guns appearing rather quickly.

They ignored the calls of people behind them, dodging over Mikami, who Matt had shot quickly and efficiently.

Everything be damned, they were going to kill that stupid son of a bitch. Their legs pumped, quickly shortening the space between Light and his pursuers.

It took a bit of fun out of the game for Kat, knowing that he was injured, at least, in a strange mental way.

Matt didn't really care, as long as the bastard died for killing off Mello, Artemis and Karin. For causing all the havoc.

Ryuk watched everything, smiling and laughing hysterically, pulling out his Death Note and a gun.

…

Matt and K continued on, thinking they're revenge would finally be exacted…

But when it came down to it…

A Shinigami interfered…

And Shinigami know precisely how to manipulate a situation so that there _are_ no loopholes.

Human or half-human.


	13. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

2030

It had been many years since the passing of Kira, and criminals had slowly come out of their little hidey holes to taint everything as they so please again.

But on that day, four adults stood around a set of graves, just a short distance away from the infamous Wammy's house.

A woman kneeled by them, leaving flowers and specially wrapped sweets on a few.

"I miss them…" she muttered, swiping at her eyes with her wrist.

One of the men stepped forward, putting his hand on her shoulder, "We all do, Selena…"

"But it's not fair, Toshio!" she muttered, rounding on him, her eyes flashing. "I barely remember Momma!"

"Neither do I," spoke up the remaining of the triplets who remained next to Kai. "But Dad, Suture and Beyond always told us stories about her, Uncle Mello and Uncle Matt as well."

Kai ran a hand through his hair, feeling the uncomfortable prick of tears in his eyes. In his thirties, he was the one who had taken over for the triplets as a parental figure. Even if they were fully grown, they were prone to the immature impulses and tendencies of their parents.

Selena frowned, bowing her head, round circles of moisture appearing on the gray of the concrete slab. "We all know that, Ryuuhei…" she paused, making to bring her thumb to her lips then thinking better of it. "But it still…_hurts…_It's been seventeen years and it hurts to know Momma is….reduced to a lacking inscription, and Dad…" she trailed off.

All four of them merely gazed at the slabs in the burnt orange glow of the sunset, the shadows flickering on them. Though there physical bodies aged slowly, like their mother's, the solemnity and tiredness in their eyes reflected a much deeper maturity. As if the weight of the world, immense and incredibly depressing, were pushing down on their backs.

The first two were simple, with crosses. Over one of the crosses was a rosary, the inscription _Mello 1992-2013 Beloved Little Brother and Best Friend._

A similar inscription was on the one marks _Matt 1993-2013_, except someone had taken the liberty of trying to tape a picture of a gameboy to his gravestone.

L was there as well. _L 1982-2025, Father, Husband, Justice. _

It was so cute, in a morbid way, as soon as the orphans of Wammy's were informed of the original L's resting place and his apparent sweet tooth, they had taken to wrapping sweets up in baggies and laying them on his resting place.

Kai frowned a bit.

L had died, but no one knew of what.

In his forties, he would have only lived half his life. (Beyond Birthday had assured all four of them of that)

And it was certainly a shock when they found him curled up in his spinning chair, smiling faintly with a sour apple jolly rancher half unwrapped in his hand.

Suture had done the honors of examining him, and declared heart attack as the culprit, deeply unsettling the family.

When they heard this, they were quick to think _Kira._

But Kira's body had been among those of their mother and Uncle, according to the adults at the time. And Misa Amane had thrown herself off a bridge…

So they were left to wonder if it was some wandering Shinigami…

Kai shook his head of those thoughts, his eyes landing on the last of the graves.

He had only known the woman for a blink of time, but she had been the most fascinating person he had encountered, besides her husband that is.

Her tomb was the plainest of all, with only _K, She Will Be Missed_ on it.

Selena made a choked crying sound, standing up abruptly and turning around wicked fast, her long black hair nearly slapping her.

Her brothers quickly pulled her into a hug, murmuring words of assurance. Kai felt the burn in his eyes as he stroked her hair.

Kai motioned sharply towards the orphanage with his head, turning his only sister away

Today's cemetery visit was over with.

But they'd do it again next year.

-

2025

"Hi! What's your name?" she asked.

How could she not know him? She had been there throughout most of his life, helped him, married him, gave birth to their children...

But she didn't look as she had when she was alive. Her ears were gone, tail as well. And her pupils, if he looked close enough into the dull green, they gave only the slightest suggestion of a slit.

Matt and Mello—a younger version of them, he noted--were hanging around her, looking at her a bit broken hearted. When they had died, did they have to suffer through this introduction to someone they all ready knew?

"I'm L," he said simply, a tad bit startled by his response. Upon further inspection, he saw he was back to his seventeen year old body.

"Hi L, I'm Kat, nice to meetcha," she smiled brightly. "Come on! I'll show you around!"

He let her pull him forward, too startled at the return of her touch.

And in that moment, he made a deduction.

This was what Kat would have been like, were feline genes never grafted into her chemical make-up.

However, that meant she would NOT remember any of them.

Just as they crossed a cloud of vapor and dust, he heard a voice whipser in his ear, the hairs on the nape of his neck rising.

"I have to go now, Lawliet...thank you..."

And the voice disappeared.

"Why do you look so sad, Lawliet?" Kat asked.

He looked at her, "Because a good friend just left me."

The girl tilted her head, so painfully the same as his wife, and said, "You'll meet her eventually! We all end up here!"

L couldn't have agreed more.


End file.
